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SECOND EDITION — REVISED AND CORRECTED 



A SOUVENIR 



Thousand ^ Islands 



ST. LAWRENCE RIVER 



KINGSTON AND CAPE VINCENT TO 

MORRISTOWN AND BROCKVILLE 



Their Recorded History from the Earliest Times, their Legends, their Romances, 
their Fortifications and their Contests 



INCLUDING BOTH THE 



Hmerican anb Canabian Channels 



PROFUSELY ILLUSTRATED 

With Vie-ws of Natural Scenery, as well as Pictures of Many Summer Villas, Steamers, Fishing Scenes, etc. 



Edited and Published by 

JNO. A. HADDOCK, of Watertown, N. Y. 

A Native of Jejferson County, N. V. 

UrjdQp th)o PatPor\ago of tl^Q Tl^ousar\d Island ©lub of _AlG:jcandpia Bay 



PRINTED AND BOUND BY THE 

WEED-PARSONS PRINTING COMPANY 



ALEXANDRIA BAY, N. Y. 
1596 



COMMENDATORY. 



Office of CORNWALL BROS. 

Alexandria Bay, N. Y., October 31, 1894. 
Mr. John A. Haddock : 

Dear Sir — I have heard that you are about preparing an elaborate and highly illus- 
trated history of our river, to be sold as a more worthy Souvenir of our river and islands 
than has yet appeared. I have for some years felt the want of such a book, many copies 
of which my sons could sell over their counter here if it could have been procured. 
Having known you personally many years, I have full faith in your abilit)' and zeal for 
the preparation of such a work, and I wish you much success and encouragement in 
your labor, which will, I hope, be remunerative. 

Your friend, 

ANDREW CORNWALL, 
One of the original owners of all the American islands from Round Island to Morristown. 



Law Offices of JAMES C. SPENCER, 280 Broadway, New York. 

Mr. John A. Haddock, Watertown, N. Y.: 

My Dear Sir — Having heard you express your ideas as to a needed book which 
should suitably illustrate the natural beauties of the Thousand Island Archipelago of 
the St. Lawrence, with views of leading cottages and sketches of the individuals occu- 
pying them, I take pleasure in approving your plan, and do not hesitate, from my 
knowledge of you personally, to fully believe j'ou will carry out all you undertake in 
making a book which will be a Souvenir to be treasured by all who can appreciate the 
grandest river and the most beautiful islands upon the globe. Wishing you great 

success, I remain. 

Very truly yours. 

Summer residence, JAMES C. SPENCER, 

Manhattan Island, Vice-President Thousand Island Club. 

Alexandria Bay, N. Y. 



copyrighted, 1895. 
all rights reserved. 



INTRODUCTORY. 



There have been many attempts to depict the Thousand Islands, with their ever- 
varying, changeful scenery, and the opulence of their later adornment. Some of these 
efforts have been honest but inefficient, some sporadic and fitful, others resulting only in a 
poor attempt to make money out of a subject too grand for such a purpose. And so, year 
after year, these Islands have lacked a chronicler and a delineator who should present 
important improvements as well as natural scenes upon the printed pictorial page. The 
inquiry for a book that should meet this constant and earnest demand for truthful delineation 
of the fairest spot on earth, has induced a few gentlemen, some of them connected with the 
Thousand Island Club, to prompt the undersigned to present to the public something that 
should measure up to the occasion. Accordingly the subscriber, who is the latest Jefferson 
County historian, has given his attention to the subject, and he now presents to the property- 
owners upon the river and to the vast number who yearly visit this region, the result of his 
labors, and he believes that it faithfully portrays the river and its islands as they exist to-day, 
as well as the grand improvements made and being made there. 

It is in no sense a money-making scheme, the promoters being only desirous that the 
book shall pay its own way, as it should, and be a fair representation, up to date, of the 
Islands of the St. Lawrence and their present environment, and be at the same time, also, 
a fair illustration of the progress made up to 1896 in the art of typography and artistic 
decoration. 

In this spirit, then, this Book is issued, in the full belief that it will fill a want which has 
been felt for the past seven years among the intelligent and appreciative class who come 
annually to this section, the importance of which appears now to be permanently established. 

JNO. A. HADDOCK, 

Address on the River, Watertown, N. Y. 

Clayton, N. Y. 



SONG OF THE ST. LAWRENCE. 

By Will Carleton. 



I am marching to the sea — 

To m)' king, the mighty sea; 

In his tent he waits for me — 
In his tent, with walls of blue, 
Decked with flags of brightest hue, 

In his starlit, sunlit tent, 

O'er the head in splendor bent. 

II. 

I have messages in store, 

For my king, the mighty sea; 
Great Superior's solemn word, 
Huron's answering voice is heard; 
Erie's shelving walls of land, 
Clad with wealth and comfort o'er; 
Stern Niagara's thunder-pour, 
Great Ontario's prosperous strand, 
Decked with city-plctures grand — 
All send messages by me, 
To their king, the mighty sea. 

III. 

All my treasures I must leave — 
All my thousand tree-fringed Isles, 
All my shore-hills clad in smiles — 

All the shadows that they weave, 

AH my woods, with eyes of blue. 

All the cottages of white, 

Bathed In dim reflected light; 

Would that I might take them too, 

Floating eastward down with rne, 

For an offering to the sea! 

IV. 
Stately ships with plumes of black, 
Follow on my gleaming track; 
Villages with sails of white. 
Decked with banners brave and bright; 
Funeral trains of forest trees. 
Journey with me to the seas — 
Travel with me toward the main — 
March amid my glittering train. 

V. 
Down the rapid's giddy stair 

Rush I headlong as In fear; 
Past the crags that linger there — 

Past th' old gray rock's constant sneer, 
To my death-like, deathless fate, 
Where my lord and king doth wait. 
Panic-struck, I rush and rave. 
As some mortals toward the grave. 
Rush and rave and hurr3' on, 
With my task no nearer won. 
But or tranquil or in haste. 
Frowning wild or placid-faced. 
Eastward still my soul is set: 
I am loyal, even yet ! 

VI. 
Times, in broad blue lakes I tarry. 

Kept in couches soft and low; 
Lulled to sleep as if by fairy, 

Breeze-caresses sweep my brow. 
Sun-caresses thrill my soul, 
Shadow-hands my w.iys control; 



In the night's unlaughing glee. 

Stars come out and smile at me; 

Zephyrs from the wooded west. 

Pause awhile, with me to rest. 

" Here," I plead, " that I might stay 

Many a night and many a day ! " 

But the cry Is " Onward ! On ! " 

Never, till my journey's done. 

Can I tarry well or long, 

Can I hush my marching-song. 

I am marching to the sea — 

To my king, the mighty sea; 

In his tent he waits for me. 

In his tent, with walls of blue, 

Decked with flags of brightest hue 

In his starlit, sunlit tent, 

O'er the head in splendor bent; 

On his calm, majestic breast, 

I will lie, in changeful rest. 



[4: 



THE HAPPY ISLANDS. 

By George C. Bragdon. 

There, where a Thousand Islands sleep. 
Come pulsing from Niagara's leap 
The blended lakes with tireless sweep — 
Vast lakes, which float the grain and ore 
Of mighty States from shore to shore, 
A thousand billowj' miles and more. 

'Tis there the centering waters meet 
■ In rush sublime and beaut)' sweet, 

Which we with happy thrills shall greet — 
We who In fevered towns have sighed 
For green and water)' spaces wide. 
And Nature's murmuring love beside. 

Ah, here they are! The river here, 
Swift, slow, tumultuous, crystal-clear, 
Lapping the islands which uprear 
Their rocky heads with crests of trees, 
Has sure enchantments to release 
The heart, and change its pain to peace. 

Hail! River of the Thousand Isles! 

Which so enchants and so beguiles 

With countless charms and countless wiles; 

Flow on unpent, forever free 

And pauseless to the ocean-sea 

Which belts the globe's immensity. 

Not there our goal. Here, here we stay 
Amid the islands green and gray. 
Nor strive, but Idly float and play 
Along the river's glints and gleams. 
And yield to reveries and dreams 
With which the quickened fancy teems. 

Here vrhere the airs are always pure, 
And wave and earth and sky allure, 
And whisper, "Let the best endure," 
The wiser thoughts and instincts grow. 
Hearts truer feel and surer know, 
And kindle to a tenderer glow. 

St. Lawrence River, here we rest. 
And here we end our wandering quest 
To reach the Islands of the Blest. 
Where Nature's sweetest sweets abound 
And sacred waters, sacred ground — 
The Earthly Paradise is found! 



LEADING ARTICLES 



HADDOCK'S SOUVENIR OF THE ST. LAWRENCE. 



[see index also.] 



Many full-page illustrations. 

A grandly written introduction. 

Two beautiful poems, by George C. Bragdon 
and Will Carleton. 

The Chain of Title. 

Eiographies of E. G. Merrick, Judge Spencer, 
Governor Flower, Gen. W. H. Angell, and 
others. 

Canada's West Point. 

General description — legends, romances, In- 
dian histories and warlike expeditions. 

Carlton Island. 

Gen. Alvord's two superior articles, "Men I 
have met upon the Great River." 

Thousand Island Park, Chas. Crossmon, Cross- 
mon House, a Bonaparte in Northern New 
York. 

The Mystery of Maple Island, connecting the 
assassination of President Lincoln with a 
death on this great river. 

Old Fort Frontenac and Modern Kingston. 

H. Walter Webb, Third Vice-President N. Y. 
C. R. R. 

Theo. Butterfield, Gen. Passenger Agt. R. W. 
& O. R. R. 

Col. Z. H. Benton. 

Pictures of many steamboat men, with bio- 
graphical sketches of their lives. 



The Red Cross. 

The Whittlesey Affair. 

The great Balloon Voyage of LaMountain and 

Haddock. 
The Awakening of Henry Backus. 
The Waterway from Chicago to the Ocean. 
The Patriot War in Canada. 
The War of 1755- 
Travellers' description of the Thousand Isr 

lands; some favorable, some critical. 
Poetry of the Thousand Islands. 
Geology of the Thousand Islands. 
Why the River runs where it does ? — an able 

article by Prof. Hines, of Watertown. 
Light-houses of the Islands. 
Early recollections of Alexandria Bay. 
The St. Lawrence in War Days. 
Round Island and the Frontenac. 
Frank Taylor, the artist. 
Carlton Island in the Revolution. 
Gananoque, past and present, illustrated. 
Brockville, illustrated. 

How the Indians learned to run the Rapids. 
First printing on the St. Lawrence, by General 

Neilson. 
The Fowlers, the Spicers and the Esselstyns. 
La Salle and Frontenac, and many other 

articles, references and incidents. 



[5] 




A STURGEON CAUGHT 

It is a curious fact that great changes take 
place in the habitat of the finny tribe. Per- 
haps the most lasting fishing grounds are those 
off Newfoundland, the straits of Belle Isle and 
Southern Labrador, where the smaller sized 
codfish have swarmed in vast quantities for over 
200 years. ■ Forty-five years ago the cisco was 
the most prolific fish in our own Lake Ontario. 
The numbers caught were well-nigh marvel- 



IN THE ST. LAWRENCE. 

ous. Now, they are far less numerous. In 
1850 there were comparatively few black bass 
in the St. Lawrence or the lake. Now, they 
are the gamiest fish to be found, and vast num- 
bers are caught by expert anglers. We might 
enumerate other varieties that were once 
plentiful but are now scarce. We show above 
a large sturgeon, a fish once often caught in 
the St. Lawrence, but not now so plentiful. 

61 



ilANOQUe 



Salstea, 



2)^©C 



without transfer, 
liouBand Islands 



Ktef' 



ordri" 



BaS' 



) uto"*:: 



, ,40 M"e« 



Portland.making 

ins via Fabyan's 
of Maine. This 



d Islands], wheio 







Names of Points indicated by Figures in Red. 

10. Island Hoyal Royal E. Deane, New York. 

11. Seven Isles Bradley Winslow, Watertown, N. Y. 

11. Point Vivian; Rezot Tozer, J. J. Kinney, Dr. Jones, 

Geo. Jones, William Cooper, and ottiers, Stone Mills. 
New York. 

13. Bella Vista Lodge P. J. Bosworth, Newport, E. I. 

14. Comfort Island A. E. Clark, Chicago . 

15. Warner Island H. H. Warner, Eochester, N. Y. 

,„ „, T„i„_.j J A. B. Pullman, Chicago. 

16. CherrylBland -j G. B. Marsh. 

17. WanWinet C. B. Eill, Chicago. 

18. Nobby Island ^ H. K. He«th, New York. 

19. Welcome Island S. G. Pope, Ogdensbore. 

20. Linlithgow Islana K. A. Livingston, New York. 

21. Bonnie Castle Holland Estate. 

22. Isle Imperial Mrs. H. G. Le Conte, Philadelphia. 

23. Point Marguerite £■ Anthony, New York. 

M. Sport Island Packer Estate. 

1^- isnmmerland Group. 

la. Manhattan Group, 



haps not as extensive nor as productive as scenery, are witnessed in such wonderful and 
that drained by the mighty Mississippi, yet the lavish profusion nowhere else. 

[7] 



o 



N 



R 



, jlo" • 



^jA. 



af$o»> 




Brown Point I . 



THE SPECTACIXS 



^^ 



\. 



GANANOQue 



O 



W 



^ 



o 




E 



jy- 




•THE-TOURIST'S-IOEAL-ROUTE- 



THE ONtT All-BAII. KOUTE TO THE THOUSAND ISI^ANDS. 

THE GREAT HIGHWAY AND FAVORITE ROUTE FOR FASHIONABLE PIEASCRE TRAVEL 

^.SriTii'^,' ^™?«°'; ■•'»»<l' mMug Immodlato coimoolioiis at Clayton w(lhonl tnuiifcp, 
jiariaB»j,_MonlTOl Quebec and tuo raver SiuraeD.v. nu.ln. nil lh« Tl.n..«,„,l r,l»„H. 



JJaUtead'i 



*>!^ 



SoUd TminR with Elegant Sleeping Care leave Niagarft Valla daily 9. 
with powerful steanieri} of Hichelieu & Ontario Navigation Co. for Aloa . . , ^ _. 
and running all the Raplde of the River St. Lawrenre liy dayliKlit' *''° moat attractive trip iii the 

White Mouutaina and Portland Express leaves Niagara FaUa daily eicopt Sarurday at 8.10 p. m. with throuRh SleenlnK Care Niflffara Falls to Portland makino 
connections at Norwood for MaB.ena Springs : at Moira for Paul Smili.'6 and Adirondack reaorta. and runnin/thmuBSX hJ^rfKo Blormtal^^ 
and famouB L:rawford Notch to Portland, with immediato coDnectioua for Bar Harhor. Old Orchard, Kennobuukport and all Sea CoMt r™"rte of Maina ™b 
tr.iin stops at all principal rcsoris in tho White Mounlaina. 

Sleeping Cars on Night Trains and Drawing- Room Cats on Day TraiJiB from Niapara Falls. Rocheater. Syracuse and IJtlca to Clayton rThousand lalanrtst whoM 
coonoctfon is made by ai trains with Palace Steamer -St. Lawrence" for aU Thousand laland Kesorta. "»"«»"' uaca to uiaywn iinoiisana iBiandflj, wuera 



oMontrf^ 



,40 Miles 



V 



■HALUDAr'S POINT 



p«' 



jHon Say 




S 




/ 



/ 



'€f 



OA«*»^ 



A^ 



CARl,^ 



Uti/a Club House* 






/■ 



y 



steamki, 



CArE 



r'i^^'^ 



w 



Y 



KattomH Boimdarv Line- — ■•■-m^"'— ■ 

Through and lacal SUameTe, dotted r£B.Un^ 
Railroads, solid rtd Hne 



J^^.-^" 



PROSPECT PARK 



LOCAL DISTANCES. 

U1LC3 

CapeVlncent to Carlton leland 2 

•r '* •' Prospect Park 13 



' Prospect F 

■ Clayton 14 

' Hound Island 16 

' Tboaeand Island 

Park 18 

' Fisher's Landing. 20 



HILEB. 

Cape Vincent ta Alexandria Bay ... 26 

>' " " Kingston 10 

«■ " " Ganannqne 16 

Alexandria Bay to Westminster 

Park 1 

•' " " Rockport 3 

' Central Park... i 



Names of Points intJicated by Figures in Red. 

1. Carlton ItiJand 

2. Governor'a Island Es-Licot.-Gov, T. O. AJvord, 

3. Calumet Island Mr, Chae, G. Emery, New York. 

4. Rock Island Llght-Uottac, head of AmurlcaD Channel. 

K J Occident and Orient E. R- Washburn, New York. 

°" llBleof PiDM Mrs. E. N. HobiuBon, New York. 

8. Frederick Island C. L. Fredericks, Carthage, N.Y. 

7. WellBley Houbo. 

f Rev. Goodrich, I/aforgeviilc, N. Y, 
R Wnvirr Rranchi'M / Arthur nughea, Btono Milla. N. Y. 

8. waving Branchw < pjgjg^,^[^jf^jn^^^j(^^f^^^j^Y. 

( L. S. AluBworth, Waterlowii, N. Y. 
( Prof. A . n. Brown, Carthago, N. Y. 

)n d. "— - " " 



. Jol],Oak../J-,„-^^E: 
( QoD. W. W.] 



lattcrfleld. Redwood, N. 



Names of Points indicated by Figures In Red. 

10. Island Royal Uoynl K. Deano. New York. 

11. Seven IslcB Bradley Wlnslow, Watcrtown, N. Y. 

11, Point Vivian; Itesot Tozor, J.J, Kinney, Dr. Jones, 

Geo. Jonce, William Cooper, and otheru, Stone UiUa, 

Mew York. 

18. Bella Vista Lodge F. J. Bosworth, Newport. R. 1. 

14, Comfort Island A. E. (JIark. Chicago. 

IB. Warner Island U. IL Wanier. Rocht-alcr, N. Y. 

16. Chcrrylatod j S. g. S'S"' ^f*"- 

17. WaoWinet C. E. mil, Chicago. 

18. Nobby Island. , B. R. Heflth, New York. 

19. Welcome Island 3. Q. Popi;, Ogdeueburs. 

X. Linlithgow lalanu R. A. Livingston. New York. 

■il. Bonnie Caatle Holland Estate. 

22. I^lo Imperial Mrs. H. Q. Le Conte, Pblladelpbla. 

S3. Point Margncrlto &. Aotbony, New York. 

H. Sport Island ..Packer £atate. 

2^' |Siimmertund Group. 

77. Uanbattan Group, 




200 years. . i^ orty-nve years ago the c.sco was plentiful 
the most prolific fish in our own Lake Ontario, a large s 
Ihe numbers caught were well-nigh marvel- the St I 

[61 



THE THOUSAND ISLANDS. 



INTRODUCTORY AND DESCRIPTIVE. 



/^PHERE is in North America a mighty 
•^ river, having its head in remote lakes, 
which though many in number, are yet so 
great that one of them is known as the largest 
body of fresh water on the globe — with a 
flow as placid and pulseless as the great 
Pacific itself, yet as swift in places as the 
average speed of a railway train. Its waters 
■ are pure and azure-hued, no matter how many 
turbid streams attempt to defile them. It is 
a river that has no freshets nor scarcely any 
drying up, no matter how great the rain or 
snow-fall or how severe the drouth on all its 
thousand miles of drainage or of flow — so 
grand and yet so lovingly beautiful as to 
enthrall every appreciative soul. 

It rises in the great fresh-water sea, and 
ends in the great Atlantic — some places ten 
miles wide, at others less than a mile. This 
great river has never as yet had a respectable 
history, nor more than an occasional artist to 
delineate its beauties. It runs for very many 
miles between two great nations, yet neglected 
"by both, though neither could be as great 
without it — a river as grand as the La Plata, 
as picturesque as the Rhine, as pure as the 
Lakes of Switzerland. Need we say that this 
wonderful stream is the St. Lawrence, the 
noblest, purest, most enchanting river of all 
God's beautiful earth ? 

This noble stream drains nearly the whole 
of that vast region lying between the 41st and 
49th degrees of north latitude, and the 60th 
and 93d parallels of longitude — a region per- 
haps not as extensive nor as productive as 
that drained by the mighty Mississippi, yet the 

[7 



flow of water in the St. Lawrence must exceed 
that in the Mississippi, for the current in the 
former is rapid, while the latter, except in 
great freshets, is contented with a medium 
flow. Rising in 49° north latitude, the waters 
of the St. Lawrence flow down through their 
many lakes to near the 41st parallel, whence 
they are impinged towards the north, and at 
Cape Vincent take an almost northeast course, 
following that general direction until they 
reach the great sea — entering it on almost 
the same meridian of longitude that crosses its 
remote source in British North America. Why 
its history has so long remained unwritten, 
and why this noble river is not more generally 
known, is perhaps accounted for in part by 
the fact that the St. Lawrence traverses a 
region of country remote from the great 
thoroughfares of the world's commerce or 
trade. It lies along the boundary line of 
business. Its banks, to be sure, are dotted 
here and there with thriving towns and cities> 
several of considerable importance in the 
world's traffic, but its grand use is in connect- 
ing the great lakes with the ocean. The region 
through which it passes is one of great interest. 
The geological formation attracts the atten- 
tion of the student and the artist. It bears on 
its face the unmistakable traces of a primeval 
condition, found nowhere else on our con- 
tinent, and probably not in more striking 
beauty anywhere on the face of the globe. Its 
picturesque windings, pure water, wonderful 
atmosphere, and great and varied beauty of 
scenery, are witnessed in such wonderful and 
lavish profusion nowhere else. 
] 



8 



A SOUVENIR OF THE ST. LAWRENCE RIVER. 



The air is an element of more worth than 
weight, and exceeds all others in its ability to 
impart pleasure and comfort, as well as to pain 
and annoy. Every pleasure or pain is affected 
by the quality of the air we breathe. The 
atmosphere has not only to do with our tempo- 
ral happiness and comfort, but it has very 
much to do with making character. It has 
been observed that the inhabitants of high, 
rugged countries, who breathe the clear, pure 
air of heaven, are those who come nearest to 
living the lives of noble freemen. The spirit 
of liberty and honor is said to inhabit the 
mountains, while the spirit of dependence, 
sloth and venality is found in the humid, 
luxurious low countries; and as man, so nature 
partakes of that spirit and element which build 
up and beautify. The air of the St. Lawrence 
region is one of its greatest attractions. It is 
pure, clear and invigorating. The early dawn 
and the evening twilight there are among the 
loveliest on the globe. 

Next to air in importance comes water, the 
■eldest daughter of creation. It was upon the 
water that the spirit of creation first moved. 
It is coupled with water that the greatest 
beauty in nature is found. It is the element 
that God commanded to bring forth living 
creatures abundantly; the element without 
which all creatures on land, as well as those 
within its folds, must perish. Moses gives it 
the first place, and justly so, because out of it 
all things came. Nowhere is there a stream 
which resembles the St. Lawrence in the 
particular feature of its purity and the rare- 
fying influences of the atmosphere. Through- 
out its entire length this great stream has the 
clearness and purity of a mountain spring, and 
the water and air combine to make more 
beautiful and enjoyable those natural attrac- 
tions in scenery for which it is fast becoming 
known to the traveler and the world in general. 
Yet its wonderful breadth of attractiveness, in 
all its wide range, is even now imperfectly 
understood. 

If the waters of the St. Lawrence are 
attractive and full of enjoyment and recrea- 
tion for the pleasure-seeker, its thousands of 
beautiful islands present pictures grand and 



sublime — pictures of which the poet painters 
have only dreamed. Its romantic and un- 
written history is only an attractive field in 
which facts assume the air of fiction. The 
romance of American history is an interesting 
and important harvest, which is fast passing 
away, and soon will be lost forever, unless 
garnered into the great treasure-house of the 
printed page, where it can be preserved for 
the coming ages. No section of the continent 
is the scene of events more important and 
numerous, in our unwritten history, than that 
through which this great river flows. For 
it has been the principal artery along which 
the pulse of civilization throbbed for ages in 
its struggles to penetrate the unknown region 
of the inland seas of the far West. 

Its civilization is older than that of any 
other section of the continent. The scenes 
and struggles on its banks have been nobler, 
grander and more persistent than those of any 
other section. Nowhere else can be found such 
determined and Herculean efforts. Coupled 
with this, in turn, have come some of the 
sublimest and grandest examples of Christian 
faith and forbearance to be found anywhere, 
for the civilization and conversion of the 
native North American and the possession of 
this continent. Almost every village and 
hamlet — especially of the lower portion of 
the river — has a history full of stirring records, 
important in the first settlement of this conti- 
nent, while the upper St. Lawrence is closely 
identified with all the leading events of the 
early history of our own country; and, in 
addition to this, has an interesting local his- 
tory, illustrative of the events and trials un- 
dergone by a struggling pioneer people for 
the enjoyment of the priceless boon of Liberty. 
To reach back down the line of years past, 
and gather up the forgotten and almost lost 
scenes and incidents, and weave about these 
newly-discovered sources of beauty and popu- 
lar resources of pleasure the history of early, 
days and discoveries, and preserve it all, em- 
bellished by the hand of the artist, for future 
ages, is not a work of ease, though we have 
found it a work of pleasure. History will take 
us back more than fifteen hundred years, and 



X 



IN TROD UC TOR Y. 



we find that there are few martyrs in the 
Church of Rome whose name or fame rests upon 
a more lasting or better foundation than that 
of St. Lawrence. And yet in the New World 
it has found a fame and foundation that shall 
be admired long ages after the story of his 
deeds and even the holy church which canon- 
ized his bones may have been forgotten. It 
is gratifying to know that the object of our 
adoration is so honorably and worthily chris- 
tened, although in learning this we are re- 
minded of the ceaseless spirit of change 
written upon all things. St. La?/rence the 
martyr has become St. Lazyrence the river. 

The stereotyped falsities of history are very 
many in America, and they creep upon us with 
our eyes wide open. They come because 
legend has taken the place of fact. The writer 
who would dare seriously to dispute the claim 
of Columbus to the honor accorded him for 
nearly three hundred years, would be bold in- 
• deed; and yet the position that he was not the 
discoverer of America has been attempted to 
be maintained. The Pilgrims landed at Ply- 
mouth Rock, and came to found a government 
where they could enjoy religious freedom and 
liberty, and open an asylum for the oppressed 
of all other countries. But long before them 
there came a colony whose sole purpose was 
TO FISH ; and the nation they founded has vied 
with the others, and grown mighty and formid- 
able in wealth and greatness. It seems not 
altogether unlikely that the American nation 
may develop characteristics which will be better 
evidence of its origin and the original purpose 
of its founders than can be found, in the piety 
or exalted purpose of the Pilgrims. So, every- 
where, the great incentive to explore and ex- 
tend government bounds and influence has 
been that gain might follow religion. 

As early as 1500, great fleets of British and 
Norman sailors visited Newfoundland, whose 
cod-fisheries were even then known through- 
out the Old World. The coasts of Newfound- 
land and Labrador were visited many times by 
these great fleets before any attempt was made 
at exploring the Gulf of St. Lawrence or the 
river, even at its mouth. The Spaniards had 
then begun to seek for treasure on the south- 



west coast of America. Faint glimpses of the 
great father of waters had gone out to the 
world, and strange stories came from the 
Indians of its source and the great lakes be- 
yond. Jesuit missionaries, little by little, 
dared to penetrate the great unknown, and 
suffer the cruelties and hardships of life in a 
wilderness dominated with savage men and 
beasts. Spain was pushing her researches, 
and the Old World was filled with reports of 
strange people and of a strange land. Of 
course, fiction and romance are never idle, 
and they clothed the whole in wonderful 
beauty and decked the New World with gold, 
precious stones and gems of rarest worth and 
excellence. 

It was under these circumstances that Jac- 
ques Cartier, a French sea captain, in 1534, 
came with two vessels to explore the great 
river that empties through the Gulf into the 
Atlantic, which had been known by the Lab- 
rador and Newfoundland fishermen for nearly 
a hundred years. He landed at the mouth of 
the river in the Spring, and had not proceeded 
far — in fact, had not entered the river at all 
— before he became satisfied that the Span- 
iards had been there before him ; and as he 
progressed further, he found unmistakable 
evidence that these restless, undaunted ex- 
plorers had several times visited those shores 
in search of mines. They had ascended the 
river some distance, but abandoned the search 
after amusing themselves by cruel treatment 
of the innocent natives. It is claimed by some 
that the name of Canada comes from a corrup- 
tion of their expression of disgust and dis- 
appointment — "Aca-Nada " (here is nothing), 
which the natives picked up and held on to, 
without knowing its meaning, for the purpose 
of designating the place and associating with 
it the strangers who came. Whatever may be 
the merit or truth of this story, it has the 
authority of the oldest and best historian of 
Canada (Heriot). 

Cartier returned to France during the Sum- 
mer, having accomplished little or nothing by 
his journeying. The next year he made an- 
other voyage to the Gulf, which was almost as 
barren of results as his first one. He effected 



10 



A SOUVENIR OF THE ST. LAWRENCE RIVER. 



a landing on the north entrance of the great 
river, and called the place St. Nicholas, which 
name it still bears. He also named a bay on 
the same coast St. Laurence, for the reason 
that he entered the bay on the loth of August 
■ — St. Laurence's fast-day. Thence the name 
, has spread the entire length of the river. The 
Spaniards were the first to explore the river, but 
by a strange coincidence, a Frenchman names 
it after a saint of Spanish birth and education. 

Cartier passed up the river on this voyage 
as far as where Montreal is now situated, and 
there he remained during the Winter, becom- 
ing acquainted with the natives, trading with 
them and studying their habits, customs and 
language. This point was at that time some- 
thing of an Indian village, under the name of 
"Hochelaga. " In the Spring he returned to 
France, and for four years the wars and inter- 
nal troubles of his own country prevented any 
further visits or explorations. 

About 1542 King Francis First issued letters 
to Francis de la Roque, Seigneur de Robervale, 
giving him power of the King over " Canada, 
Hochelaga, Saguenay, Terre Neuva, Labra- 
dor," and other countries or "cities" of the 
New World. The commission was almost 
equal to the command to go forth and possess 
the earth. Six ships embarked in this expe- 
dition, Cartier accompanying it as chief cap- 
tain. A portion of the party settled at Que- 
bec, but the most of those who remained 
settled at Montreal — Cartier among the num- 
ber. The vessels returned to France laden 
with furs which were gathered during the 
Winter. The next year they came again, and 
found the little colony in good condition. 
Cartier then explored the river to the mouth 
of the Saguenay, and the new scenes could 
hardly be believed even by those who were in 
the midst, much less by those who listened to 
the report of them. This feeling is still shared 
in a pleasurable degree by those who behold 
for the first time the scenery of the lower St. 
Lawrence and its tributaries. A third expe- 
dition to Canada was undertaken two years 
after, under Roberval, but it proved a failure 
— all the ships being lost, and no survivor was 
left to tell the story. 



The growth of the French colony was very 
slow, and its history is one of great hardships 
and privations. The rigorous climate, the 
bloodthirsty and hostile natives, the great 
number of wild beasts, all combined to neu- 
tralize and circumscribe every effort at happi- 
ness, and even a tolerable existence was hardly 
attainable. Then follow the expeditions of 
Champlain, who traversed the discoveries of 
Cartier, and penetrated still farther west, and 
reached out to the north and south through 
the tributaries of the great river ; and for the 
first time the exploration of the country was 
begun in earnest. Companies were formed, 
and aid and assistance obtained from the 
French government, and large investments 
were made by capitalists and speculators. 
The Indian wars and massacres which followed 
have scarcely parallels in American history. 
The great tribes of Algonquins, Hurons and 
Iroquois roamed at will from the upper Missis- 
sippi to the Gulf of St. Lawrence, and began 
to look with jealous eyes upon the incursions 
of the white man. The fur-trade began to be 
the great business of the colonists, and the St. 
Lawrence river was the thoroughfare by which 
the tribes from the lake country were enabled 
to reach Montreal, where they disposed of 
their stock of skins. It was by this trade that 
the river was really opened up to the adven- 
turous white man. 

The events of these years, and the progress 
of civilization are interesting; they are the 
very romance of American history, and per- 
tain to that which is fast becoming the most 
enjoyable and pleasing portion of our conti- 
nent in Summer. From the foot of Lake 
Ontario to Prescott is a continued stream of 
romance and beauty, which our artist will 
portray by his camera. Surely the region in 
Summer is one calculated to make us ask, as 
we move amid the delights, 

" Was it not dropt from heaven ?" 

Not a breath but bears enchantment ; not a 
cliff but flings on the clear wave some image 
of delight. Every turn and motion of the 
boat brings new views, new scenes, new life : 
scenes that fascinate the eye, and pictures 



THE CHAIN OF TITLE. 



II 



that draw the soul in wondering admiration 
to the great Artist Divine. Be it ours to 
muse on such scenes ; ours to glide through 
them from daybreak till the beautiful night 
creeps on and broods in solemn stillness over 
all. Through all the years of life the memory 
of such scenes last ; they come in dreams, and 
we revisit them in memory's treasure-house. 
They draw us nearer the really good and 
beautiful which we all some day hope to enjoy. 
The work in hand is one of importance to 
Canada and the United States, and is of espe- 
cial interest to persons who live within the 
section of country covered by it, as well as to 
all admirers of American scenery. The scope 
and design is sufficiently broad to comprehend 
everything of interest. The picturesque por- 
tions are within the limits named, and they are 
artistic. Views of scenery and of villas alone 
will make the work of great value. The scenes 
will not only be new, never before having 
been presented to the public in this complete 
form — but the enjoyment and improvement 
of them by the pleasure-seekers who make the 
islands their permanent Summer homes, is 
also a new feature in American Summer-life, 
and adds very much to the natural beauty. 
These islands are petty kingdoms, lying in 
close and friendly proximity to each other — 
ruled by no power except the wishes, comfort 
and happiness of those who call them " Home." 
In the upper St. Lawrence there are over 
fifteen hundred of these islands. A large por- 
tion of them are owned by wealthy persons, 
many of whom have built upon them fine resi- 



dences, and laid out tasteful grounds. Within 
the past few years the improvements in this 
direction have been very great. One immense 
camp-meeting enterprise has called into exist- 
ence hundreds of fine cottages on the largest 
island,, and many desirable residences on the 
lower end of the same, while every island, j 
during the summer months, ^eems to bear its 
portion, if not of permanent Summer-homes, 
of transient tenting or camping parties. 
Skiffs and steam yachts being the only means 
of getting from island to island, or from an 
island to the main shore, they are of necessity 
numerous, and handsome and expensive ones 
are plenty. They move silently about, with 
fishing or visiting parties, in the day-time ; 
and when the soft evening air, so peculiar to 
this region, has settled down, and the beautiful 
sunset faded out, the different islands will be- 
come illuminated ; boats loaded with happy 
pleasure-seekers glide about among them ; 
then it is that the search-light expedition gets 
in its weird work; the music of bands and of 
voices floats out upon the pure, clear air, over 
the placid waters — and the heart cannot but 
respond in its fullest gladness. Nowhere on 
earth, away from the silent Adriatic, has the 
poet's dream of Venice been so fully, raptur- 
ously realized. For fully forty miles in the 
upper St. Lawrence (between Kingston, Cape 
Vincent and Brockville), where these islands 
are thickest, the scenery by day is grand and 
inspiring, while the illuminations, the music, 
the flashing boats and the festivities make 
the evenings enchanting. 



THE CHAIN 

/^THE importance of these islands, which 
•^ form the northwestern boundary of 
Jefferson county, demands historical considera- 
tion distinct and separate from the towns in 
which they are situated. Cape Vincent, Clay- 
ton, Orleans and Alexandria each claim a part 
of the islands, since they are mapped and de- 
scribed as belonging to the towns which front 
upon the river opposite. The islands proper 
really begin at Cape Vincent and Kingston, 



OF TITLE. 

and extend to Morristown and Brockville, 
about thirty-eight miles below, and are about 
1,500 in number. 

The author has been sometimes puzzled 
what to believe as he listens to diverse state- 
ments of the same general facts as related by 
different individuals. To understand the 
errors of many such statements, at once de- 
monstrates the unreliability of oral testimony, 
and shows the importance of serious investi- 



12 



A SOUVENIR OF THE ST. LAWRENCE RIVER. 



gation before making a record for the printed 
page. It was once believed by many that 
Wellsley Island was for a time held half-and- 
half by both Canada and the United States. 
The inconsistency of such a location of the 
dividing line between two governments will be 
apparent to the most casual observer. But 
under such misinfsrmation there were numer- 
ous settlements by Canadians upon that im- 
portant island, claiming that they were within 
the limits of their own country. The truth 
is that in the treaty division of these islands 
there was no attempt to divide any island. 
The treaty called for a line running up the 
"main channel of the St. Lawrence," but 
when the commissioners came on to locate the 
line, they found two main channels, both 
navigable, though the southeast (the American) 
channel was by far the straightest, and is un- 
doubtedly the main channel of the river at 
that point; and so the commissioners "gave 
and took " islands under the treaty, Wellsley 
Island falling to the United States because so 
near its main shore, and Wolfe Island going 
to the Canadians for a similar reason. 

The place which this beautiful region holds 
in American history is second only to that 
occupied by New England and Plymouth 
Rock, while the memories and traditions which 
cluster around it are as thrilling and romantic 
as are to be found in the new world. Wars, 
piracy, tragedy and mystery have contributed 
to its lore. The people of the United States 
should ever bear in mind that this river was 
discovered by the Spanish, conquered by the 
French, again conquered by the English, 
whose footprints have become indelible. That 
nation yet controls the whole river for long 
distances, and is half owner for yet other 
long distances. It is the grand highway for 
both Canada, England and America. May it 
ever remain such. 

The St. Lawrence was discovered by Jac- 
ques Cartier, the French explorer, in 1535, 
but he did not proceed farther up the stream 
than to explore the St. Louis rapids above 
Montreal. There is much uncertainty as to 
the identity of the white man who first gazed 
upon the beautiful scene presented by the 



Thousand Islands. The early discoverers were 
less interested in scenery than in the practical 
things which pertained to navigation, trade 
and travel, and the spreading of Christianity. 
Champlain, in 1615, beginning at the western 
end of Lake Ontario, explored that lake and 
the St. Lawrence to Sorel river, thus passing 
through the Thousand Island region on to 
Lake Ontario and the Bay of Quinte. 

How or when or by whom the world's atten- 
tion was first called to this archipelago is cer- 
tainly a matter of doubt, but certainly at an 
early date it had impressed itself upon the lover 
of the grand and beautiful, for at least two 
centuries ago the French christened it " Les 
Mille Isles " — The Thousand Isles. The later 
and more completely descriptive English name 
for it is "The Lake of a Thousand Islands." 
The St. Lawrence has marked the line of 
separation, and the Thousand Islands have 
been the scene of some of the important cam- 
paigns in four great conflicts between nations. 
The first was the Indian war between the 
Algonquins and the Iroquois, which continued 
many years, with occasional intermissions. 
The second struggle was between the French 
and English, and some of its hostile meetings 
and victories and defeats took place among the 
islands and on the neighboring shores. In the, 
American Revolutionary war with Englandj 
and that between the same forces in 18 12, the 
defense of this locality was of decided im- 
portance, but its joint occupancy was settled 
by the wise men of both countries. 

Some of the most exciting incidents of that 
disgraceful military adventure known as the 
Patriot War, with its intermittent outbreaks 
from 1837 to 1839, took place on this part of 
tlie river, notably the burning of the Canadian 
steamer Sir Robert Peel, on Wellsley Island, 
on the night of May, 29, 1838, and the battle 
of the Windmill, near Prescott, Ont., Novem- 
ber 13, of the same year. 

The development and wonderful increase in 
the value of these islands have been more 
especially due to influences which have origi- ' 
nated at Alexandria Bay. The islands were 
transferred to the State of New York through 
the several treaties with the aboriginies, follow- 



A RAINY DAY AT THE ISLANDS. 



13 



ing the same chain of title by which the main 
shore, from the Hudson to the St. Lawrence, 
came under the proprietary and governing con- 
trol of the State. The dividing line between 
the United States and Canada passes some- 
what arbitrarily among the islands, varying in 
size from a small pile of rocks covered by- a 
few stunted trees, to others quite large — one 
of them (Wellsley Island) containing nearly 
10,000 acres of arable land. This valuable 
island was conceded to the United States un- 
der the treaty with England, negotiated at the 
close of the war for independence. The State 
of New York, by patent under its great seal, 
conveyed the islands to Colonel Elisha Camp, 
a distinguished citizen of Sackets Harbor, 
N. Y. In 1845 Azariah Walton and Chester- 
field Parsons purchased ,(not from Col. Camp, 
but from Yates & Mclntyre, of lottery fame, 
whose title came from Camp), the northwest 
half of Wellsley Island and "all the islands in 
the American waters of the river St. Lawrence 
from the foot of Round Island (near Clayton) 
to Morristown," a distance of some thirty-five 
miles. The consideration was ^3,000. Event- 
ually the Parsons interest was purchased by 
Walton, who became sole owner, and continued 
as such until the firm of Cornwall & Walton 
was established in 1853, when they purchased 
nearly the whole of the remaining half of 
Wellsley Island, and then that firm became sole 



owner of all these islands, having vested in 
them all the rights and title originally granted 
Colonel Camp by the State of New York. 
To Hon. Andrew Cornwall, for nearly fifty 
years at Alexandria Bay, and always its de- 
voted friend and advocate, is due the greatest 
credit for the movement which has developed 
the Thousand Islands, and he is yet spared to 
greet each season the great company who 
come year by year to enjoy the grand river. 
A brief sketch of his life should be published 
and appreciated. He is the patriarch of the 
American side of the upper St. Lawrence. 

The value of the islands was quite nominal 
until they fell under the new firm's control, 
and even for several years afterward. Event- 
ually there grew up a demand for them, and 
they were sold low, but with a clause in the 
conveyance requiring a cottage to be erected 
within three years. Col. Staples obtained as 
a free gift the grounds upon which he erected 
the Thousand Island House. As an indica- 
tion of the present value of at least one of 
these islands, it is now made public that 
$10,000 was offered and refused for an island 
sold by Cornwall Si Walton for f roo. The 
Canadian islands were not, of course, included 
in the grant to Camp, Yates & Mclntyre, or to 
Cornwall & Walton. A considerable number 
of these Canadian islands were lately sold by 
that Government. 



A RAINY DAY AT THE ISLANDS. 

CUNSHINE and daylight are at their best and with friendly chat, not disguising an 
^^iy among these islands. But even a rainy occasional yawn, the hour for an early dinner 
day has its compensations. Then the men soon arrives, and after that comes the after- 
stay around the hotels, and devote themselves noon nap, the early tea and then the pleasures 
to the ladies, who are not so much given to of the evening. Some dance, the young 
fishing as are their escorts. The book that brides and the other bright ones who are very 
was but lately cast aside for something prom- willing to become brides and share in the 
ising greater zest, is now resumed at the happiness they vvatch so intently, these steal 
turned-down page, and the promised letter is away to the darker corners of the verandas, 
thought of and leisurely written. The ladies where confidences and an occasional pressure 
gather upon the verandas of the hotels, and of the hand (possibly a kiss) may be indulged 
with crocheting and talk and exchange of ex- in without too much publicity. So, almost 
periences, pass away the time. Many predic- unflaggingly, the day passes away, and John, 
tioris are made as to the duration of the rain, the oarsman, promising fair weather to-mor- 



H 



A SOUVENIR OF THE ST. LAWRENCE RIVER. 



row, stillness and sleep creep over the happy 
company, who are willing to declare that even 
a rainy day is enjoyable among the Thousand 
Islands, where the soft outlines of the ever- 
varying shore are half hidden, half revealed 
through the rainy mist, as if waiting for the 
sun's enchanting power to develop their hid- 
den mysteries and reveal their entrancing, 
restful beauties. This is indeed that " Port 
of Peace," into which, when once you have 
sailed your boat, you are glad to stay, and you 
leave the spot with sad regrets, to be remem- 
bered always as the place where the soul is 
lifted up to God in glad thankfulness that He 
ever made such a resting spot for His weary 
children, who, through many pilgrimages in 
many lands, at last find here a spot that fills 
the hungry soul with satisfaction. 

Now, AS TO Health. 

All who have ever remained here for a week 
are conscious that after the third or fourth 
day there is a peculiar change in the system. 
If you have been troubled with insomnia, it 
begins to leave you, and natural, restful sleep 
asserts its sway. You like to sit and rest, 
your legs become lazy, and you are not at all 
anxious for long walks. The hotel's shady 
settees have become matters for considera- 
tion ; you conclude, after much argument, 
which is the easiest one, and best protected 
from the sun. You yawn often, and wonder 
what has come over you. You can lay down 
and take a nap at almost any hour after lo 
A. M. You languidly push aside the news- 
paper whose leaders only last week were read 
with the most intense interest. The spirit of 
Rest creeps upon you almost unawares, for 
your system is being fed upon the ozone of 
this health-giving spot. The very air becomes 
an active ally in behalf of your overworked 
nerves, and before you are aware of it, you 
begin to fill up with reserve force, that shall 
stand you in good stead in the city's heat and 
push. 

These beneficial influences are within the 
reach of all. There are now hotels and 
boarding-houses at Alexandria Bay, Thousand 
Island Park, Clayton, Cape Vincent, West- 



minster Park, Round Island, and at many 
other resorts, where the poor man can find 
entertainment within his means, and the rich 
man, too (much as he is criticised), may also 
find comforts adapted to his desires. In 
former times there were only the more expen- 
sive resorts, and that kept away the middle- 
class of summer tourists. That is all changed 
now, and every condition except the chroni- 
cally poor can find boarding houses within 
their means. It will not be long before this 
great national Vacation Park, 38 miles long, 
will be eagerly sought by all conditions of 
society, from the skilled mechanic to the 
millionaire. 

The Value of Rest. 

Many people make the mistake of sup- 
posing that a summer vacation is not com- 
plete unless devoted to various sorts of 
physical exercise. It seems to be taken for 
granted that the energies of body and mind 
cannot be recuperated except by trips and 
diversions that call for muscular effort. Sum- 
mer resorts that do not offer such opportuni- 
ties are often thought to be wanting in proper 
attractions. There is another class of people, 
such as artists, teachers and clergymen, who 
seek places where they may pursue their 
usual work amid new surroundings. Under 
suitable restrictions perhaps no harm comes 
from this. Change of air and of diet are 
beneficial, and new faces and new scenery 
tend to break up the monotony of all toil and 
care. There are not enough people, however, 
who appreciate the value of a period of abso- 
lute rest, an entire cessation from activity. 
Just as land is better for being allowed to lie 
fallow, the physical and mental energies of 
man are better for being allowed to repose for 
a time. Nothing is lost by permitting mind 
and body each year to indulge thus in a few 
days' slumber. A short season spent in loung- 
ing about the Thousand Islands, watching the^ 
shifting water, or in idling in the woods and 
fields, with their fresh odors and changing 
views of hill and dale, light and shade, island 
and shore, as they intermingle and then sepa- 
ate, will often fill the frame with new vigor 



HON. ELDRIDGE G. MERICK. 



15 



and the ind with new impressions. Particu- 
larly is .uch a change beneficial when the 
thermometer is up among the nineties. Then, 
if ever, the energies should be carefully hus- 
banded. The English philosopher who as- 
serted that Americans work too hard and take 



too little leisure, stated a truth which intelli- 
gent foreign visitors have frequently noted. 
This warning has a special timeliness just at 
present, and the seeker after a spot where the 
very soul may rest will find his El Dorado 
among the Thousand Islands. 



It is fortunate for our history that we are 
able to present to our readers, from an en- 
tirely reliable source, a very circumstantial 
and accurate record of the life of one of 
the great river's most widely known, distin- 
guished and able denizens, who rose from small 
beginnings to the very first rank in business 
and in citizenship. Indeed, the writer re- 
members no man in Jefferson county who was 
superior to Mr. Merick. There were two or 
three, Hon. Orville Hungerford, Hon. C. B. 
I'-oard, and perhaps Gen. Wm, H. Angel, who 
stood as high in probity and faithfulness to 
friends and to society, and were as patriotic 
and high minded as Mr. Merick, but he had 
no " superior " in his adopted county, nor in 
Northern New York, nor on the river. 

He was the fifth child in a family of nine 
children, six boys and three girls, and was 
born March 6, 1802, in Colchester, Delaware 
county, N. Yt, from which place he moved 
with the family to Sherburne, Chenango 
county, at the age of about four years. The 
section to which the family removed was 
almost an unbroken wilderness, with few in- 
habitants and no schools or opportunity for 
obtaining an education. The principal amuse- 
ment for a boy of his age was picking up the 
brush and burning it, preparing the land for 
crops. The first school he attended was at 
the age of nine. The school held for only 
four months. At the end of the four months 
he was able to read a newspaper fairly well. 
He continued at home, himself and brother 
carrying on the farm, until eleven, at which 
time he went to live with a man named Clark. 
That family had no children, and Eldridge 
, was treated as their own child. Mr. Clark 
had a small farm on the Chenango river, 



HON. ELDRIDGE G. MERICK. 

which this boy carried on principally, with 
occasionally a little help from the owner. 
His business, after getting through with the 
work of the farm in the fall, was to chop and 
put up ten cords of wood before going to 
school the first year, increasing it five cords 
each year until he got twenty-five cords, which 
was all that was needed for the family. Eld- 
ridge attended the country school from three 
to four months each winter, until seventeen 
years of age, and then he commenced teach- 
ing. When Mr. Clark went to St. Lawrence 
county in 1820, young Merick went with him, 
remaining there until twenty-one years of age. 

Arriving at majority, the people with whom 
he lived not being in a situation to do any- 
thing for him, he found it necessary to shift 
for himself. His first effort was a contract 
for building a stone wall at Russell, St. Law- 
rence county, after which he went to Water- 
town, Jefferson county, working there for 
several months, and delivered the material 
for the old stone Presbyterian church; thence 
to Sackets Harbor, to work for Festus Clark, 
a brother of his former employer, as clerk in 
a small store. Remaining there for a short 
time, he went to Depauville, in the same capa- 
city, with Stephen Johnson, who had a coun- 
try store, and was also engaged in the lumber 
business for the Quebec market. 

He remained with Mr. Johnson two years, 
superintending his lumber business largely, 
and while there became acquainted with Mr. 
Jesse Smith, who had been furnishing Mr. 
Johnson with means to carry on his lumber 
business. Mr. Johnson was unfortunate in 
business and failed at the end of two years, 
and was sold out by the sheriff, which sale 
was attended by Mr. Smith as a creditor, and 



i6 



A SOUVENIR OF THE ST. LAWRENCE RIVER. 



knowing it threw young Merick out of em- 
ployment, he offered him a situation, which 
was gladly accepted. This was about 1S26. 
Mr. Smith was doing a very large mercantile 
and manufacturing business for those times. 
After being with hira for a little over a year, 
he sent Mr. Merick with a store of goods to 
Perch River, and the following Summer sent 
him to Quebec to look after his lumbering 
interests, and in the Fall of the same year 
offered him a partnership and an interest in 
the business, which was accepted, and so 
young Merick became the manager. The 
business developed into a pretty large one, 
devoted principally to lumber designed for 
the Quebec market, and also the building and 
running of vessels. The timber and staves, 
which were the principal business, were ob- 
tained about the head of Lake Ontario and 
Lake Erie, extending into Lake Huron, and 
were transported by vessels across the lakes 
to Clayton, on the St. Lawrence, and there 
made into rafts for transportation to Quebec. 
Of these rafts there were several made up 
every year, amounting (according to their 
size) to $40,000 or $50,000 each. These rafts 
had to be made very strong to run the rapids 
of the river, seven or eight in number. Each 
stick of oak timber was tied up with large oak 
wisps, forming what was called a dram, and 
from ten to twenty or thirty drams in a raft. 
The rafts were propelled by a number of 
small sails, but usually went but little faster 
than the current. At the rapids a pilot and 
extra men were taken to conduct the raft 
through the rapids ; a pilot for each dram or 
section, the raft being divided into several 
sections for running the rapids. Sometimes a 
large raft required from 200 to 300 men. 
Frequently they would get broken up in the 
rapids and run ashore, attended with consider- 
able loss and expense in saving the pieces. 
Arriving at Quebec, they were usually sold on 
from two to six months' time, but the percent- 
age of loss by bad debts was very small. 
Better facilities were needed for transporting 
this square oak timber, and a ship-yard was 
established at Clayton. After Mr. Smith re- 
moved to Ohio, Mr. Merick continued the 



timber trade, adding forwarding and grain 
business, associating with Messrs. Fowler and 
Esselstyn. 

The business in the winter was arranging 
and superintending the shipments, selecting 
the timber in the country, and getting it for- 
warded for shipping, and in building vessels, 
of which the firm generally had one or more 
on the stocks. They built, with one or two 
exceptions, all the steamboats forming the 
justly celebrated line on Lake Ontario and the 
River St. Lawrence, on the American side. 

The " Reindeer " fleet, which at one time 
numbered fourteen vessels, were built at his 
Clayton yard ; also three steamers of the 
Ontario Navigation Company, all of them hav- 
ing his careful supervision. 

With D. N. Barney & Co., he built, about 
1844, the steamer Empire, to run between 
Buffalo and Chicago. Her increased tonnage 
and decks attracted much attention, with many 
prophecies of failure, but she proved a success 
and was the vanguard of the fine fleet of lake 
transports. 

When the Grand Trunk Railroad was built, 
however, following up the St. Lawrence and 
Lake Ontario, the competition ruined the 
business of these passenger steamers. The line 
ceased to be remunerative, and the boats were 
sold, some to go to Montreal ; one went to 
Charlestown, S. C, and afterwards was en- 
gaged in the rebel service in the war of the 
rebellion. 

He had previously established a house in 
Cleveland, one in Oswego and one in Buffalo, 
the object being to furnish business for the 
vessels on the lakes. Each additional facility 
only showed the necessity of still further facili- 
ties. The firm decided to build a large flour- 
ing mill in Oswego, which had the largest 
capacity of any mill in the country at that time, 
turning out from 1,000 to 1,200 barrels a day, 
and having thirteen runs of stone. 

He was interested in railroad building in 
Ohio, but it was before the days of floating 
bonds a;nd watering stocks, but not of incom- 
petent, reckless superintendents. The enter- 
prise was a failure. But through their railroad 
enterprise the firm was enabled not only to con- 




ELDRIDGE G. MERICK. 



HON. ELDRIDGE G. MERICK 



17 



trol the wheat over the road and to market by 
vessels, but for the mill at Oswego. During 
the war, or at the close, the mill was making 
very large profits, from $1 to ^2 a barrel, but 
unfortunately it took fire and burned down, 
with a large stock of grain and flour on hand. 
The loss was pretty well protected by insurance, 
but the profit which they would have made if 
the mill had not burned down, could not have 
been provided for. The actual loss was 
nearly $150,000. 

Perhaps his first and greatest financial loss 
was through the failure of a large commission 
house (Suydam, Sage & Co.) in New York, in 
1850. But that loss brought generous and 
prompt proffers of aid from business men in 
Watertown, Kingston and Quebec, which were 
long after most gratefully remembered. The 
great financial disasters of 1857 and 1873 also 
brought misfortune to him, as well as to many 
pthers. He was greatly helped in all these re- 
verses by the confidence that his creditors had 
in his ability and strict integrity, steadily re- 
fusing compromises when offered. He paid 
dollar for dollar, though often at great sacri- 
fice of property. For many years Mr. Merick 
was president of the Sackets Harbor Bank, 
relinquishing the position on leaving Jeffer- 
son county. 

For many years he found Clayton was too 
much at one side for the prompt and success- 
ful management and oversight of his varied 
interests. He was strongly attached to the 
people of Jefferson county and the beautiful 
St. Lawrence, and it was with many regrets 
that he left his old friends and pleasant home, 
with all the associations of youth and manhood, 
to make a home, in 1859, at the more central 
point, Detroit. Here he took an honored 
position among the business men of the city, 
many of whom sought advice from him, glad 
to profit by his large experience. In addition 
to other business, he bought an interest in the 
Detroit Dry Dock Company for the firm of 
Merick, Esselstyn & Co. John Owen, Gordon 
Campbell and Merick, Fowler & Esselstyn 
each owned one-third of the Dry Dock stock — 
the total stock being $300,000. 

Mr. John Fowler, a partner of the firm of 



Merick, Fowler & Esselstyn, died in May, 1879. 
The surviving partners purchased his interest 
in the business, and continued under the name 
of Merick, Esselstyn & Co. 

After the failure of 1873, Mr. Merick was 
too old a man to again do business with his 
former confidence and success. 

In 1829 Mr. Merick married Miss Jane C. 
Fowler. She died in 1881, leaving four sur- 
viving children — all of whom have proven 
useful and honored members of society. 

Mrs. Cyrus McCormick, who was Mr. Mer- 
ick's niece, was the daughter of Melzar Fow- 
ler, born at Brownville, N. Y., and survives 
her distinguished husband, who was that C. 
H. McCormick, so long the leader in manu- 
facturing reapers for the harvest field, whose 
machines have gone into all lands. He was 
the one to introduce that inestimably valuable 
machine into England, as is so well spoken of 
in Haddock's History. 

Mr. Merick was very early interested in the 
temperance movement. It had been the cus- 
tom to put whisky among the necessary stores 
for every raft and vessel. He very soon real- 
ized the injury it was doing, made liquor a 
contraband article, supplied tea and coffee in- 
stead, and made it his personal duty to visit 
cabin and forecastle, to confiscate and throw 
overboard any spirits smuggled on board. 

The sailors who manned his vessels came 
from the adjacent farms and villages. Young 
men, beginning as cabin boys, or before the 
mast, were frequently advanced as they proved 
worthy and capable to be mates, captains and 
shareholders, and all looked up to him as to a 
personal friend and father. 

One who had sailed for him thirty-five years 
wrote: "The accounts for these years aggre- 
gated more than half a million of dollars, but 
never an error to the value of a cent in his books, 
never a sour look or unkind word. I was 
always treated more as an equal than as a ser- 
vant." Another who served him forty years 
said : " I have received from him nothing but 
kindness. When in need of aid or counsel his 
generous heart always responded to my wants. 
In prosperity and adversity, sunshine and 
storm, he was always true to principle, and 



i8 



A SOUVENIR OF THE ST. LAWRENCE RIVER. 



true to himself as a man, ever following the 
Golden Rule." 

Mr. Merick had no political aspirations, be- 
yond wishing to do the best possible for his 
own township, of which he was several times 
supervisor. He was a strong Whig, and gave 
money, time and influence to promote the in- 
terests of that party. Twice he was nominated 
for Congress, and ran ahead of his ticket; 
once both parties wished to unite upon him as 
their candidate, but his business interests 
would not permit him to accept the nomina- 
tion. He was also one of the Electoral Col- 
lege, voting for President William H. Harrison. 

The title of judge was given him when he 
was appointed associate judge of Jefferson 
county, but he felt that it rightfully belonged 
only to a man of legal training and ability. 

The Patriot War of 1837-38 caused much 
trouble and anxiety all along the border, and 
brought together many of the best men of 
Northern New York and Canada to council 
together and take such measures as would in- 
sure peace. 

/ One of the Canadian members of that com- 
mittee of arbitration wrote : " How much the 
high character and the confidence inspired by 
your father in Canada, assisted in allaying the 
irritation which existed on both sides of the 
line. To him many misguided men owe their 
deliverance from extreme peril. I well re- 
member the effect upon my own mind, not a 
little exasperated at the time, by his explana- 
tions as to the sincere, but mistaken views 
which induced many good and worthy people 
to engage in or extend aid to what they sup- 
pose to be a movement in assisting the op- 
pressed." 

Mr. Merick, deploring his own inability to 
obtain a collegiate education, was ready to aid 
young men with such aspirations. The suc- 
cess of many business men was owing to the 
counsel and substantial aid he gave. Academ- 
ies, colleges, churches, public and private 
charities were cheerfully aided by him as "the 
Lord prospered him." 

His noble, courtly bearing, his unassuming 
manner, his thoughtfulness, tenderness and 
benevolence, his faithfulness and integrity 



make a rich legacy to children and children's 
children. 

It had always been his thought that a busi- 
ness man should keep at work till the end of 
life. In the winter of 1887-88, realizing from 
his advanced years that his strength was fast 
failing, he decided to sell the remaining vessels 
of the fleet. Friday, February 10, i888, the 
contract was made for selling the last one. 
Saturday, February 11, the papers were to be 
signed. He tarried a little in the morning, 
perhaps not quite as well as usual, after a 
somewhat restless night — his mind no doubt 
busy with reminiscences of the past, and sad- 
ened by the change of affairs. The mail 
brought news from absent loved ones. While 
talking with his daughter, sitting beside him, 
of the good tidings received, his head dropped, 
one sigh was given, "the silver cord was 
loosed," "the golden bowl was broken," — he 
had gone from his work to his rest and his 
reward. 

Thus passed away, after an honorable and 
a useful life, one of the most widely-known 
and justly-honored of the river men, who 
came to man's estate in Jefferson county, and 
spent the flower of his life there. His death 
occurred at Detroit, February 11, 1888, in his 
86th year. 

Mr. Merick and wife reared a family of 
four children. They were : 

Maria D., wife of Isaac L. Lyon, a native 
of Ogdensburg, N. Y. They reside at Red- 
lands, Cal. 

Ermina G. Merick, wife of E. J. Carring- 
ton, of Fulton, N. Y. They reside at Detroit, 
Mich. 

Melzar F. Merick, died March 28, 1893. 
His wife was Mary Whittlesey, of Danbury, 
Conn. 

Je ANNIE C, wife of G. N. Chaffee, of De- 
troit, Mich., which is their home. 

Mr. Merick was in many respects a pecu- 
liarly able man, and should be spoken of 
apart from his many business enterprises. 
Judgment was the leading quality of his mind. 
To strangers he appeared reserved, the result 
of his native modesty, and not the outgrowth 
of any feeling of superiority or of self-elation. 




ROSWELL PETTIBONE FLOWER. 



GOVERNOR ROSIVELL PETTIBONE FLOWER. 



19 



His soul was too great and his judgment too 
solid for any such folly as that. He was emi- 
nently democratic, simple in his manners and 
his tastes, as have been all the really great 
men the writer has encountered. Mr. Merick 
was not a sharer in the command of armies, 
nor is it probable that he ever knew what it 
was to be thrilled by a bugle call or beat of 
drum ; yet he intensely appreciated the 
struggle endured by the Union armies, whose 
perils he would surely have shared had he 
been of suitable age. He was a patriot in the 
highest sense of that term. Amidst all the 
duties of his exacting business, he was a con- 
sistent Christian ; the traveling Methodist 
minister always found a welcome at his fire- 
side, both from him and his amiable wife, a 
fact the writer has heard the late Rev. Gard- 
ner Baker speak of with grateful tears. Mr. 
Merick's unostentatious and democratic ways 
made him life-long friends, for his manner in- 



vited confidence, and confidence in him meant 
safety. Children and animals never shunned 
his society, for they intuitively perceived his 
gentleness under his greatness. Viewed in 
any light, as a man of affairs, the possessor 
and dispenser of large wealth, as the unosten- 
tatious but ever vigilant citizen of a free 
country, or as the sincere Christian, he pos- 
sessed so many excellencies that he fell but 
little short of earthly perfection. He left a 
memory in Jefferson county that remains 
peculiarly sweet, and entirely untarnished. 
And it is fitting to hold up such a character to 
the admiration of the youth who come after 
him, as an evidence that the age in which he 
lived was not altogether one of greed and 
money-getting, but was adorned now and then 
by souls as grand as can be found in the re- 
cords of any people. And so Eldridge G. 
Merick passes into history as one of the very 
ablest and best of his time. 



GOVERNOR ROSWELL PETTIBONE FLOWER. 

[See Portrait.] 



We scarcely need apologize for introducing 
into this River book the portrait and bio- 
graphical sketch of Governor Flower. His 
childhood was spent only twelve miles from 
Alexandria Bay, a spot he often visited in his 
youth, and he has grown to be one of whom 
his fellow citizens, and more especially those 
who knew him in early life, are very proud. 
His career is an incentive to every boy and 
young man in the State. 

He was born August 7, 1835, at Theresa, 
Jefferson county, N. Y. His father, Nathan 
Monroe Flower, whose ancestors came to 
Connecticut in 1696 and settled in New Hart- 
ford, was born at Oak Hill, Greene county, in 
this State. Nathan Flower learned the wool- 
carding and cloth-dressing trade in his father's 
mill at Oak Hill, and when he became of age 
established business for himself in Coopers- 
town, Otsego county. At Cherry Valley, in 
the same county, he married Mary Ann Boyle, 
and soon after moved to the northern wilder- 
ness and established a wool-carding and cloth- 
making business at Theresa. Nine children 
were born to them, seven sons and two daugh- 
ters, of whom Roswell Pettibone Flower was 
the fourth son and the sixth child. Their 
father died when Roswell was only eight years 



old. Their mother conducted the business 
for a couple of years, and young Roswell was 
put to work at picking wool eight hours off 
and eight hours on daily, during the summer 
season, for a couple of months, and the rest 
of the time he was sent to school. The family 
had a farm of 30 acres near the village, and 
and another one of some 200 acres eight miles 
out. The children worked on these farms, 
chopping wood for the house in the village, 
and raising hay and oats, wheat and potatoes. 
There was nothing on the farm that young 
Roswell could not do. Until he was fourteen 
years of age he was occupied at school, and 
night and morning did what work he could to 
help support the family. His brothers being 
older than he, it was not Roswell's luck to 
have a new suit of clothes until he was able 
to earn the money himself. His mother would 
cut down the clothes of the older boys to fit 
him, and stories are told, even in these days, 
at Theresa, of the anguish of mind which 
young Flower suffered over this matter of 
hand-me-downs. His sister Caroline married 
Silas L. George, a merchant of Theresa, and 
Roswell was employed by him for $5 a month 
and board. In the winter he attended the 
Theresa High School, conducted by Mr. 



20 



A SOUVENIR OF THE ST. LAWRENCE RIVER. 



Goodenough, and worked for his board until 
lie was sixteen years of age, when he gradu- 
ated. To get his spending money Roswell 
did odd jobs of sawing wood and carrying it 
upstairs for the lawyers of the village. Twenty- 
five cents was a good deal of money in those 
days, and rather than ask his mother for the 
money, he preferred to saw half a cord of 
wood and carry it upstairs. Farm hands 
were scarce in haying time, and being a strong 
and active young man, he could command 
good wages, and frequently left the little 
country store for two or three weeks to help 
out some farmer who was anxious to get his 
crops in. He also worked in a brick yard, 
driving a yoke of stags around the vat to tread 
out the clay, for which he received the munifi- 
cent sum of $1.50 a week, not counting Sundays. 

As A Village Schoolmaster. 

After he graduated from the High School 
he found an opportunity to teach in a little 
school a mile from town. The scholars in 
those days often desired to have a bout with 
their master before they would become tract- 
able. Mr. Flower taught out the balance of 
the term in the red school house below the 
village and " boarded around " among the 
parents of his scholars a week or less in a 
place, in the regular old New England fashion, 
which still obtains in the way-back districts of 
Northern New York. 

His first day in school, during the noon 
intermission, the biggest boy came to him for 
a "square-hold" wrestle. Mr. Flower ac- 
cepted the challenge and easily threw the lad. 
After he had thrown the larger boys he found 
them all, with one exception, ready to recog- 
nize his authority. One day in the spelling 
class this boy, who was about twenty-one years 
old, declined to pronounce his syllables, but 
after a tussle Roswell succeeded in making 
him pronounce them correctly. He then gave 
notice that he would hold a spelling school 
that evening, and stated that he desired only 
those of the scholars to come who would be 
willing to do their best. During the inter- 
mission this young man said he was coming 
to school that evening, but that he would not 
spell. Roswell was boarding at the time with 
the family of Edward Cooper, with whom 
lived a young man of twenty-two named James 
Casey, now a merchant at Theresa. The 
young teacher talked over the expected trouble 
and arranged that Casey should choose for one 
side of the school, and if this obstreperous 
young fellow should make his appearance 
Casey should elect him to his side, and if he 
made any fuss in spelling, the two should join 



forces and put him out. The evening school 
had not been opened more than ten minutes 
before this young man came in and sat down 
behind one of the old-fashioned desks. He 
was immediately chosen, but said he would 
not spell. Then young Flower told him that 
he must spell or leave the school. He replied 

that he would be if he would spell, and that 

he would be if he would leave the school. 

Mr. Flower insisted, which only called forth 
a repetition of the offensive remark. The 
schoolmaster then called upon anybody pres- 
ent who desired to resent the insult to the 
school and the teacher to assist him in 
putting the offender out of doors ; where- 
upon young Casey rose up, and Roswell, 
grabbing the young man by his shoulder and 
his assistant by his feet, he was speedily 
ejected. But he was not conquered. He 
went over to the hotel a few rods distant and 
persuaded one of the trustees and a big chap 
by the name of William Wafful to come over 
and whip the teacher. Nothing daunted, 
Roswell stated the case to his belligerent 
visitors and then said to the young man: 
" Now, sir, you must either spell or leave this 
school again." This conquered the youthful 
Samson, and he spelled without further 
trouble. After school was out the colossal 
Mr. Wafful remarked that if this young man 
had not spelled then he would have whipped 
him himself. 

When he was in his eighteenth year Mr. 
Flower had an offer to go to Philadelphia 
(Jefferson county) as a clerk in a general 
merchandise store. His employer was a Mr. 
Woodward, who failed two months afterward, 
and the young man, thrown out of employ- 
ment, was forced to return to Theresa. That 
spring and summer he did work on his moth- 
er's farm, and earned a ton of hay by working 
nine days and a half in the field, mowing 
grass and " keeping up his end " with eleven 
men in mowing. 

During his boyhood he always went bare- 
foot in the summer months, and he once re- 
marked in a speech, while running against 
William Waldorf Astor for Congress, that 
until he was fifteen years old he did not feel 
at home in the summer time unless he had a 
stone bruise or two on his feet, and that he 
had warmed his feet many a morning when 
driving up the cows in the crisp autumn 
weather on a spot where a cow had lain the 
night before. 

Six Years of Early Manhood. 

In August, 1853, Mr. Flower had an offer to 
go into the hardware store of Howell Cooper 



GOVERNOR RO SWELL PETTIBONE FLOWER. 



21 



& Co., at Watertown. After remaining there 
a month he had another offer which was more 
to his liking and which he accepted. It was 
to become deputy postmaster at Watertown at 
$50 a month and board. He occupied this 
position under Postmaster William H. Sigour- 
ney for six years. The first $50 he saved he 
invested in a gold watch, which he sold a few 
months later to a young physician for $53, and 
took his note for it. Mr. Flower still has that 
note. Mr. Flower managed to save some 
money out of his wages, and at the end of his 
term in office had accumulated about $1,000, 
with which he purchased the interest of Mr. 
Sigourney in a jewelry business, the firm name 
being Hitchcock & Flower, at i Court street, 
Watertown. His. aptitude for business en- 
.abled him to advance the interests of the firm, 
and in a couple of years he bought out his 
partner and continued alone in the business 
until 1869. 

Mr. Flower was married on December 26, 
1859, to Sarah M. Woodruff, a daughter of 
Norris M. Woodruff, of Watertown. Three 
children were born to them, of whom only 
one is living, Emma Gertrude. She was 
married to John B. Taylor, of Watertown, 
January 2, 1890. While in the Watertown 
post office Mr. Flower's spare time was taken 
up, not in social entertainments, because he 
had no money to enter such society, but in 
reading whatever he thought might be useful 
to hirn in the future. He made himself 
thoroughly familiar with the " Federalist " and 
kindred works, and having an idea of some 
day becoming a lawyer, he got a little knowl- 
edge of Blackstone and Kent; but his natural 
bent was for business, and he never attempted 
the law. 

Business in New York. 

In 1869 Henry Keep, the well-known capi- 
talist, who had married Miss Emma Wood- 
ruff, a sister of Mrs. Flower, was on his death- 
bed. Two or three weeks before he died he 
sent for Mr. Flower to come to New York, 
and during his sickness gave him a pretty 
good idea of the character of the men with 
whom he had been surrounded in the busi- 
ness world. Mr. Keep had been president of 
the New York Central and treasurer of the 
Michigan Central and Lake Shore, and was 
president at the time of the Chicago and 
Northwestern railroad. He knew it would 
take a man of good common sense and quick 
perception to aid his wife in the management 
of his large property after his death, and in 
Mr. Flower he thought he recognized those 
qualities. In answer to a question by Mr. 



Flower, in order to get his opinion of Daniel 
Drew, as to whether Drew was an honest man, 
Mr. Keep, who was very reticent, did not 
reply for some ten minutes, and then said : 
" He is as honest a man as there is in the State 
of New York, but for fear that somebody else 
will cheat, he will always begin first." Im- 
mediately after Mr. Keep's death Mr. Flower- 
removed to New York and took charge of his 
late brother-in-law's estate, the value of which 
has more than doubled under his management. 
It was then worth $1,000,000, and now under 
Mr. Flower's management it has expanded to 
$4,000,000. The properties in which the 
estate was invested caused Mr. Flower to be a 
frequent visitor to the West, and since 1870 
he has made extended trips all over the United 
States, and has a personal knowledge of the 
possibilities and natural resources of almost 
every section of the country. Governor 
Flower's fortune, which is estimated in the 
millions, has not been made by speculation in 
Wall street, but by the shrewd purchasing of 
properties, which, by careful and prudent 
management, have developed and proved val- 
uable investments. 

His Career in Wall Street. 

In 1872 Mr. Flower was at death's door for 
several weeks, but after four or five months' 
sickness he finally recovered. His physicians 
then advised him to take all the outdoor ex- 
ercise possible. At this time the brokerage 
and banking firm of Benedict, Flower & Co., 
was dissolved, and Mr. Flower gave his entire 
attention to the management of his sister-in- 
law's estate and other estates which had been 
placed in his care. He found a New York 
office necessary, and so established himself at 
52 Broadway. His younger brother, Anson 
R. Flower, was brought to New York from 
Watertown in order to become acquainted with 
the business, that he might take charge of it in 
Mr. Flower's absence ; but, strange to say, the 
more the latter tried to get out of business 
the more he got into it, and the firm of R. P. 
Flower & Co. found itself doing a large com- 
mission trade without any attempt having 
been made to push it — so large, in fact, that 
another brother, John D. Flower, and a nep- 
hew, Frederick S. Flower, were taken into the 
firm, and not until 1890 did Mr. Flower re-^ 
linquish his interest in the concern and become 
a special partner. But in the meantime he 
had managed to get the " out-of-door" exer- 
cise which the doctors had suggested through 
the State sportsman's clubs. In 1877 Mr. 
Flower attended the convention of these clubs 
at Syracuse and won a prize, consisting of a 



22 



A SOUVENIR OF THE ST. LAWRENCE RIVER. 



corduroy hunting suit, over a field of 1x3 
entries. Thirty-two of them had tied at 
twenty-one yards' rise, and they had to go 
back to the twenty-five yard score. Then all 
that were left had to go back to thirty-one 
yards and shoot until somebody dropped out. 
Mr. Flower and ex-Attorney-General Tabor 
were the last competitors in the contest, and 
Mr. Flower finally won the clothes and still 
wears them on the hunting expeditions which 
he frequently takes after woodcock, duck and 
partridge. 

Always Active in Politics. 

In politics Mr. Flower has always been a 
Democrat. He cast his first vote for Buch- 
anan, and has been a constant and active 
worker for his party. He was chairman of 
the county committee for several years and 
helped to start the nucleus of an organization 
which has been known throughout the State 
as one of the best equipped political organi- 
zations within its borders. Mr. Flower was 
an active Mason in his younger days, being at 
one time high priest of the Watertown chap- 
ter. One day, going down to the grand 
chapter, at Albany, he met on the cars Samuel 
J. Tilden and his secretary, John D. Van 
Buren. Mr. Tilden asked him what he 
thought about the State, and Flower replied 
that he did not believe Mr. Tilden would the 
next year be chairman of the State Committee 
for the reason that he did not seem to recog- 
nize the fact that a man under fifty years of age 
has any influence in politics. He told Mr. 
Tilden that it was the young men who would 
control the party, and that he must extend his 
acquaintance among them or be prepared to 
step out. Mr. Tilden replied that he would 
like to have the young men with him, but that 
he had no opportunity of coming in touch 
with them : that his friends didn't seem to 
think it was worth while. Mr. Flower then 
told Tilden that Jefferson county had sent to 
Colonel Van Buren the year before the best 
scheme for organization of a party that had 
up to that time made its appearance, and that 
if he would organize the party throughout the 
State on the basis of recognizing the merit of 
young and active workers, instead of the "has 
beens," he would be sure to carry the State at 
all times, and might continue at the head of 
the organization as long as he saw fit. Van 
Buren confirmed this opinion. About a month 
later Hon. Allen C. Beach, of Watertown, re- 
ceived a telegram from Mr. Tilden, asking 
him to come to his house and spend two or 
three weeks, as he wanted to extend the sug- 
gested organization throughout the State. It 



was thus that the famous " Tilden machine " 
was started. It was Flower's suggestion to 
organize it and Tilden's perseverance which 
extended it. In 1877 Flower was Chairman 
of the Democratic Executive Committee when 
the party won the campaign, though there was 
a bolt against the ticket. 

A Term in Congress. 

After his son's death, in 1881, Mr. Flower 
was induced to run for Congress in the 
Eleventh Congressional District against Wil- 
liam Waldorf Astor. The representative of 
this district had been Levi P. Morton, until he 
resigned to take the position of Minister to 
France. Mr. Morton had been elected by 
over 4,000 majority. In tl»at campaign, after 
Orlando B. Potter had declined the Demo- 
cratic nomination, Mr. Flower accepted it on 
the platform that he would not purchase a vote 
to secure the election, and on that he made 
the issue and was elected by 3,100 majority. 
In the Forty-seventh Congress he was ap- 
pointed a member of the Committee on Bank- 
ing, and almost immediately took a prominent 
part in the discussion of financial questions. 
Mr. Flower recently said to the writer: "When 
I was elected to Congress, although I was 
pretty thoroughly conversant with practical 
banking methods, I knew nothing of the 
theories of finance, but I soon learned that if 
I was to be of any use in Congress I must do 
a little reading, and with the aid of books 
from the Congressional Library, I soon pretty 
thoroughly mastered the subject. I found it 
much the most interesting subject I had ever 
studied. It is better reading than the best 
novel that ever was written." During his first 
term in Congress he also made speeches on the 
Chinese question, on the River and Harbor 
bill, and a notable one on the reduction of 
taxes. 

A Unique Pocket Companion. 

Mr. Flower would hardly be called a good 
speaker, but he was called on frequently in 
his county to talk from the platform, particu- 
larly during the Seymour and Blair campaign 
of 1868. Endeavoring to fill that want of 
many public speakers — the possession of a 
copy of the Constitution of the United States 
in convenient size to carry in his pocket — he 
searched the book stores of Watertown, but 
was unable to find one. Happening into a 
little corner shoe-store he saw tacked to the 
bench of a grizzled old cobbler a little primer 
containing inside the Constitution and outside 
the advertisement of a fire insurance company. 
James Muldoon, the shoemaker, gave Mr. 



GOVERNOR RO SWELL RETT I BONE FLOWER. 



23 



Flower the book, and he has it yet, always 
carrying it in his pocket for easy reference. 
In 1876, when visiting Chicago, Mr. Flower 
had his memorandum book stolen, which con- 
tained the present of the cobbler. While in 
Europe some months later he received a note 
from the proprietor of the Grand Pacific 
Hotel, saying that his book had been found in 
a lumber yard, and would be returned to him. 
The Constitution turned up inside in perfect 
order, and in 1883, when making a speech in 
Congress on giving power to the President to 
veto separate items in the Appropriation bill, 
Mr. Flower produced the cobbler's copy of 
the Constitution, and, considering its adven- 
tures and the value a pamphlet copy would be 
to many persons, as it had been to him, he 
asked that it, together with the substantial 
amendments, be printed in the Record to ac- 
company his remarks, that with them, it might 
be distributed to the people. Over 500,000 
copies of this somewhat unique document 
were circulated by himself and other members 
of Congress. 

A Gubernatorial Possibility AND Already 
A National Leader. 

In 1882 there was a general demand through- 
out the State for his nomination to the office 
of Governor. In the Democratic convention 
Mr. Flower received 134 votes against the 
same number for General Slocum, and sixty- 
one for Grover Cleveland, of Buffalo. The 
strife between Tammany and the County De- 
mocracy was so great at that time that it was 
thought better politics to nominate a man out- 
side of the city of New York. Consequently 
Mr. Flower made way for Cleveland, who was 
declared the choice of the convention. In 
this same year, 1882, Mr. Flower refused are- 
nomination for Congress, having stated in his 
first canvass that he would not accept a second 
nomination and that he would leave the dis- 
trict in such a condition after one term that 
any good Democrat, no matter how shallow 
his pocket, might be nominated and elected 
in it. He was at this time offered the unani- 
mous nomination of both factions of his party, 
and was assured that the Republicans would 
make no nomination if he would consent to 
run, but he preferred to carry out his pledge 
to the people when he ran against Mr. Astor. 
Orlando B. Potter was nominated and elected 
in his place, Mr. Flower taking the stump for 
him. Mr. Flower has been a member of the 
State Executive Committee every year since 
that time, and has given valuable aid to the 
Democratic party managers. In 1885 he at- 
tended the Democratic State Convention as a 



looker-on; not as a candidate for office. The 
convention nominated David B. Hill for Gov- 
ernor. Several delegates had asked Mr. 
Flower to accept the nomination for Lieuten- 
ant-Governor, but he refused. He left Sara- 
toga the morning before the convention ad- 
journed, but when he arrived at his country- 
home in Watertown, he found that he had 
been unanimously nominated for Lieutenant- 
Governor. He immediately declined the 
honor, stating his reasons for doing so. The 
State Committee was called together and 
nominated in his place Colonel Jones, of 
Binghamton, he "who pays the freight." 

Mr. Flower, in 18S2, was made chairman 
of the Democratic Congressional Committee, 
and ran the campaign that year which resulted 
in a majority in the House of fifty for his 
party. In the Presidential campaign of 1888 
Mr. Flower was selected as one of the four 
delegates-at-large to the National Democratic 
Convention at St. Louis, which nominated Mr. 
Cleveland for President, and was chosen chair- 
man of the delegation. In the same year, 
when it seemed probable that the two Demo- 
cratic factions in the Twelfth district might 
each run a candidate for Congress, they united 
on Mr. Flower, and asked him to accept the 
nomination. This he did, with some hesita- 
tion, and only in order to help the election 
of the Presidential and Gubernatorial nomi- 
nees. 

Again in Congress. 

In the Fifty-first Congress Flower was ap- 
pointed a member of the House Committee 
on Ways and Means, and also a member of 
the Committee on the World's Fair. His 
efforts toward securing the location of the fair 
in New York have been recognized by the 
city and State, and his speech on that subject 
contained about all the points in favor of New 
York that could be put into thirty minutes. 

Mr. Flower once remarked to the writer 
that his success in Congress was chiefly due to 
the fact that on whatever committee he was 
placed he tried to learn as much about his 
work if not more than any other member of 
the committee. On the Ways and Means 
Committee in the Fifty-first Congress, by the 
questions he asked at the hearing held before 
that committee, he showed his familiarity with 
many subjects, and with distant sections of 
the country and their industries. There was 
no just claim before Congress for the pension 
of a Union soldier that he did not champion, 
believing that if a soldier received a pension 
to which he was not entitled the government 
was to blame and not the soldier, for there are 



24 



A SOUVENIR OF THE ST. LAWRENCE RIVER. 



in each Congressional district three surgeons 
by whom the soldier is examined before he is 
allowed a pension. Mr. Flower also made a 
strong speech in the Fifty-first Congress in 
favor of the election of postmasters by the 
people, and offered an amendment to the Con- 
stitution to that effect. Because of his thorough 
knowledge of the West and its needs he was 
enabled to make in Congress a speech on the 
irrigation question, which attracted a great 
deal of attention, and which Avas made the 
basis of the Senate Committee's report on that 
subject. 

The Canvass of 1890. 

Mr. Flower was chairman of the Demo- 
cratic Congressional Campaign Committee in 
1890. The committee had very small means, 
but his organizing powers were brought into 
play with great success. The campaign was 
quietly but systematically conducted. Cam- 
paign documents were circulated in large 
numbers, and the result was the largest Demo- 
cratic Congressional majority ever obtained in 
an election in the United States. Mr. Flower 
created the impression that he was doing 
nothing, even counseling some of the leading 
newspapers of his party to pitch into him and 
accuse him of inaction, in order to arouse the 
Democratic rank and file to the necessity for 
active effort on their part. He believed that a 
full vote of his party meant a great Democratic 
triumph, and the outcome justified his belief. 

Mr. Flower was nominated for Governor at 
the Democratic State Convention of 1891, and 
was elected by a plurality of 47,937 over 
Jacob Sloat Fassett. 

How He Spends His Money. 

Mr. Flower has never turned his back on 
any charitable institution that he could con- 
sistently befriend, as the people of the State 
can testify. He has always made it a rule to 
give away in charity a certain portion of his 
income — - for many years all that he did not 
need for his own living expenses — believing 
that when a man had wealth he should dis- 
tribute it while he is alive in order that there 
be no contest over it when he dies. 

Mr. Flower's parents were Presbyterians, 
and on a visit to Theresa a number of years 
ago he found that the church which he had 
attended as a small boy had run down and that 
the building itself was in a dilapidated condi- 
tion- At considerable expense he had the 
church rebuilt, and it is now a beautiful little 
structure — a fitting memorial to Mr. Flower's 
parents. On the death of his son, Henry 
Keep Flower, in 1881, Mr. and Mrs. Flower 



gave St. Thomas church, in New York city, of 
which Mr. Flower is a vestryman, $50,000 to 
erect on Fifty-ninth and Sixtieth streets and 
Second avenue a four-story building to be 
known as St. Thomas' house, to be used for 
parish work. The structure has rooms occu- 
pied by an American Sunday school of 500 
children, a German Sunday school, and a 
Chinese Sunday school. On the lower floor 
is a diet kitchen and on the second floor an 
institution to teach young girls liow to sew 
and mend. The next floor is a club room 
where the boys play checkers and backgam- 
mon, and on the upper floor is found a library 
for a club of young men. All these institu- 
tions are cariied on by the charitably disposed 
of St. Thomas' church. On the inside of the 
building on the wall is a marble slab, upon 
which is incribed : " Erected to God by Ros- 
well P. Flower and Sarah M. Flower, in 
memory of their son, Henry Keep Flower." 

Mr. Flower's brother, Anson, is a vestry- 
man in Trinity church in Watertown, and Mr. 
Flower joined him in building a $100,000 home 
for that parish. The homoeopathic school of 
physicians in New York city were erecting, a 
few years ago, a college, but had no hospital 
in which to teach young students anatomy and 
the use of the knife in practical surgery. Mr. 
Flower erected for them, at the corner of 
Avenue A and Sixty-third street, the Flower 
Hospital, which supplies this need. But this 
by no means completes the list of beneficiaries 
of the family. Henry Keep's widow has 
erected at a cost of $100,000, in the suburbs 
of Watertown, a home for old men and women 
called " the Henry Keep Home." As Mr. 
Flower truly says: " What better use could 
be made of the money of Henry Keep, whose 
father died in the poor house, than to erect, 
with some of it, a home for aged men and 
women.?" Henry Keep's widow has also 
given $100,000 for the Ophthalmic Hospital 
at Twenty-third street and Fourth avenue. 
New York. 

The writer has known Governor Flower 
from his earliest infancy, having at one time 
been a law student in the office of the Gover- 
nor's father, and upon terms of daily intimacy 
with that estimable family of children, all of 
whom have grown up into useful and hon- 
ored members of society. The Governor's 
most pronounced trait of character is his 
ability to level up to the demands of every 
situation in which he has been placed. When 
a boy, he could do more work than any other 
boy of his age in his native town, and Theresa 
was full of smart, athletic young fellows. 
Roswell was in '' dead earnest " all the time. 



HON. JAMES C. SPENCER. 



25 



thorough in whatever he undertook, of a push- 
ing, vigorous manner, ever on the alert, and 
putting the best foot forward every time. He 
was always hard at work, but when he had 
made half-a-dollar by industry he was liberal 
with it — ready to divide with his brothers or 
with the neighbors' boys. He was always a 
" trusty " boy — -his word would go as far when 
fifteen years. of age as any full-grown man in 
Theresa. He had a self-possessed and honest 
way that gave him standing. It is not re- 
markable that a boy with such traits has made 
a successful, trusty, honest man. I have read 
his speeches in Congress and his State papers 
since he became Governor. Their erudition 
and ability, and their matter-of-fact way of 
dealing with public affairs have not surprised 
me, for I knew the boy and the quality of the 
stock from which he sprang. His father was 
a nobleman if ever there was one in Northern 
New York, and his mother was one of the 
most faithful, industrious and home-making 
women of her day. 

It is easy to say, and easier yet, perhaps, to 
suspect that what we print here may be largely 
due to the desire men usually feel to compli- 
ment and perhaps flatter men who have reached 
high positions or acquired great wealth. Gov- 
ernor Flower is too well known in his native 
county to need aught but honest praise from 
any source. Though a tireless partisan and 
an uncompromising Democrat, he has never 
lost a friend through any political divergence 
of view. Honest in his own opinions he does 
not hesitate to accord those who differ with him 
the same honesty of purpose. Springing from 
the middle walks of life, neither poor nor rich, 
nor yet a college graduate, but graduated from 
that wonderful developer of practical common 
sense, every-day human experience, he pos- 



sesses the robustness and mental health which 
such an origin might be expected to transmit. 
His face is all expression, showing an exqui- 
sitely penetrating and mobile intellect, easily 
stirred to noble emotions and brimming over 
with goodness. He is a delightful companion, 
welcome in every circle, but shines brightest 
and most hopefully to those who share his 
daily life and " know him best of all." His 
life has been a blessing to so many, here and 
elsewhere, that his personal popularity is not 
so remarkable when we consider the founda- 
tion upon which it is mainly built — an un- 
selfish desire to do good. 

The Watertown Residence. 

Although Mr. Flower has for some 20 years 
had a winter home in Fifth avenue. New York, 
he still spends his summers in Watertown, 
where, upon Arsenal street, he occupies a cozy, 
pretty house. There are 50 dwellings in 
Watertown surpassing it in splendor of ap- 
pearance, more modern, with a greater evi- 
dence of the luxuries of life, but none having 
more the look of a real home. The house 
was built over fifty years ago, by Norris M. 
Woodruff, Mrs. Flower's father, and has the 
rambling, comfortable look of that period in 
architecture. It is a wooden building painted 
white — -a cleanly, dazzling white, which 
seems to have been so attractive in the eyes of 
the last generation — and it has the usual ac- 
companiment of bright green blinds. The 
house stands a little back from the street, 
having sufficient space for some handsome 
beds of flowers and a perfectly trimmed green 
lawn, while back of the house one sees a fine 
garden and clumps of handsome trees. Mr. 
Flower transacts his business in a comfortably- 
arranged office in the Flower Block. 



HON. JAMES C. SPENCER, 



Ex-Judge New York City Superior Court, is an- 
other of the men who have done much to em- 
bellish nature. An extended account of his 
lovely property, " Manhattan," may be found 
elsewhere. He is a native of Fort Coving- 
ton, Franklin county, N. Y. His father, the 
late Judge James B. Spencer, was one of the 
early settlers of Franklin county, and was a 
prominent and respected citizen and recog- 
nized political leader in the northern part of 
the State, having held many important posi- 
tions, including that of Judge and Representa- 



tive in the State and National Legislatures. 
He also distinguished himself in the War of 
1812, participating actively in the important 
engagements of that contest, including the 
battle of Plattsburg. In politics he was a 
Democrat of the Jefferson, Madison, and 
Jackson school. He was the personal friend 
and colleague of Silas Wright, and was recog- 
nized and appreciated by that great man and 
other prominent Democrats of the State of 
New York, as an intelligent and reliable po- 
litical coadjutor, in the .struggles of more than 



26 



A SOUVENIR OF THE ST. LAWRENCE RIVER. 



a quarter of a century to secure and perpetu- 
ate Democratic ascendancy in the State. He 
also enjoyed the confidence and esteem of all 
his fellow-citizens who knew him, without re- 
gard to political differences. He died in the 
year 1S48, at the age of sixty-eight. 

This branch of the Spencer family and that 
represented by the late Chief Justice Ambrose 
Spencer, and his son, Honorable John C. 
Spencer, were kindred, and claim a common 
ancestry. The family emigrated to New York 
from Connecticut, their original place of set- 
tlement in the New World, springing from an 
English ancestor, William Spencer, who came 
to Cambridge, Mass., before or early in the 
year 1631. 

It appears that he returned to or visited 
England afterwards, for he married his wife, 
Alice, in that country about the year 1633. 
He was again a resident and a prominent man 
in Cambridge in 1634-5, and was afterwards 
one of the first settlers in Hartford, Conn. 
He was the eldest of three brothers, all of 
whom were among the early settlers of Hart- 
ford. 

The family of the present Judge Spencer, 
on the maternal side, were purely Irish. His 
grandfather emigrated to this country from 
Ireland prior to the American Revolution, and 
served his adopted country as a soldier during 
the War of Independence. 

Judge Spencer, before he had fully attained 
manhood, was thrown upon his own resources, 
and acquired his education and profession 
mainly by his own exertions. He commenced 
the practice of law in 1850, in his native 
county, and soon became popular and re- 
spected in his profession. 

In 1854, he removed to Ogdensburg, St. 
Lawrence county, and, with judge William C. 
Brown, formed the legal firm of Brown & 
Spencer, which for many years enjoyed a suc- 
cessful and profitable practice in the courts of 
Northern New York. In 1857 he was ap- 



pointed United States District Attorney for 
the Northern District of New York. 

The performance of the duties of that office 
extended his professional acquaintance into 
nearly every county of the State. After the 
expiration of his term of office, he removed 
to the city of New York and entered upon the 
practice of his profession in that city. His 
energy and industry, added to his former pro- 
fessional reputation in the State, soon brought 
him clients and a very successful business. 

In 1867, he entered into partnership with 
Hon. Charles A. Rapallo and other legal gen- 
tlemen, under the firm name of Rapallo & 
Spencer, which became familiar to the public 
and in the courts as associated with some of 
the most important causes of the day, includ- 
ing the famous Erie controversy and other 
equally important litigations connected with 
railroad and steamship companies. The ex- 
istence of that firm terminated with the elec- 
tion of its senior members to the bench — Mr. 
Rapallo to the Court of Appeals, and Mr. 
Spencer to the Superior Court of New York. 
He was a candidate at a later day for reelec- 
tion as judge, but was defeated by a small 
majority. 

On his retirement from the bench and re- 
turn to the active practice of his profession in 
New York city, the Judge was heartily wel- 
comed, and his old clients renewed their al- 
legiance. As years have worn away he has 
become more attached to his Manhattan Island 
(see description elsewhere), and there he spends 
much of each summer, a practice dating back 
for twenty years. He has improved and beauti- 
fied every thing he has touched, and is known 
as a liberal, progressive gentleman, taking a 
deep and healthy interest in all that relates to 
the St. Lawrence and the improvement of its 
Islands. Such men become, in a sense, pub- 
lic benefactors, and their memory should not 
die for want of proper recognition, nor their 
example be lost upon posterity. 



CANADA'S WEST POINT. 



THE ROYAL MILITARY COLLEGE AT KINGSTON. 

BY J. JONES BELL, M. A. 



|ITH a frontier extending across a conti- 
nent, bordering on a nation from which 
several hostile raids on behalf of " Irish inde- 
pendence " have taken place, and with a half- 
breed and Indian population in her own north- 
west, which has on two occasions broken out 
into open rebellion, Canada finds it necessary 
to maintain the nucleus of a military force, 
which shall be available on short notice to de- 
fend her frontier or to put down rebellion. She 
cannot afford to maintain a standing army, but 
she has three batteries of artillery on perma- 
nent service and a cavalry school, four infan- 
try schools and one mounted-infantry school, 
at which the officers and non-commissioned 
officers of the Volunteer Militia may receive 
such a training as will fit them to take com- 
mand and give instruction to the volunteers, 
who, taken from the field or workshop, would 
otherwise be wholly untrained and undisci- 
plined. 

But while her volunteers have given a good 
account of themselves when occasion called 
them into active service, and while her schools 
of military instruction have been the means of 
placing good officers at their head, it was felt 
that something more was needed to complete 
the system, and accordingly the Parliament of 
Canada, in 1874, passed an act authorizing 
the establishment of a Royal Military College 
"for the purpose," as the act states, "of im- 
parting a complete education in all branches 
of military tactics, fortification, engineering 
and general scientific knowledge in subjects 
connected with and necessary to a thorough 



knowledge of the military profession, and for 
qualifying officers for command and for staff 
appointments." 

In selecting a site for the college the gov- 
ernment naturally turned its eyes to three 
places which were specially adapted for the 
purpose by virtue of their historical associa- 
tions and the possession of extensive fortifica- 
tions which might be utilized for technical 
training. These were Halifax, Quebec and 
Kingston. The latter was ultimately chosen, 
for, in addition to being the most central, it 
possessed certain buildings which could be 
utilized. 

After the conquest of Canada, Kingston, 
the site of Fort Frontenac, built in 1673 by 
the French commander after whom it was 
named, became a military post of great im- 
portance. During the war of 1812 it was the 
British naval station for the lakes. A dock- 
yard was established on a low promontory 
which juts out between the Cataraqui river 
and a small inlet of the St. Lawrence called 
Navy Bay. At this dockyard Sir James Yeo 
built his fleet for Lake Ontario. After the 
war the dockyard was dismantled, but a large 
three-story stone building remained, known as 
the Stone Frigate, which had been occupied 
by the marines. This, with a large black- 
smith shop close by, was utilized for the col- 
lege. [See building at left center of picture.] 

In 1876 the first classes were opened, eigh- 
teen cadets being admitted. The staff con- 
sisted of a commandant, a captain and three 
professors. As the classes grew, more accom- 



28 



A SOUVENIR OF THE ST. LAWRENCE RIVER. 



modation was required, and a large building, 
of the grey limestone for which Kingston is 
famous, was added. It contains offices, read- 
ing and mess rooms, library, class rooms, 
laboratory, hospital and kitchen. The Stone 
Frigate became a dormitory, and the black- 
smith shop was converted into a well-equipped 
gymnasium. 

The main building faces a spacious parade 
ground, with tennis lawn and cricket ground, 
and opposite, on the point, is Fort Frederick, 
a battery which guards the entrance to the 
harbor, with a martello tower at its apex. 

Though modeled after Woolwich, the col- 
lege is intended to give the cadets a training 
which will fit them for civil as well as military 
life. The course, which is four years, though 
provision is made for a two years' course in 
certain subjects, embraces English, French, 
drawing, mathematics and mechanics, engi- 
neering, surveying, fortification, architecture, 
astronomy, chemistry, geology, mineralogy, 
physics, electricity, tactics and strategy, sig- 
naling, military law and administration, mili- 
tary drill, gymnastics, fencing, swimming and 
riding. A few of these subjects are volun- 
tary, but most of them are obligatory. A rig- 
orous examination has to be passed by candi- 
dates for entrance, and if more reach the 
minimum than can be admitted — two from 
each of the twelve military districts into 
which Canada is divided — those who make 
the highest number of marks are given the 
preference. The age of admission is from 
fifteen to nineteen. 

The military staff consists of a command- 
ant, staff adjutant and seven professors and 
instructors, four of whom are graduates of 
the college, and two of the latter hold com- 
missions in the regular army. Five of the 
staff are officers of the active list of the im- 
perial army, lent to the college for a five 
years' term, at the close of which they are 
required to rejoin their command. Two are 
officers of the retired list. There is a civil 
staff of five, holding permanent appoint- 
ments from the government. The presence 
of imperial officers gives a standing to the 
institution which it would not otherwise 



possess, and helps the proper training of 
those of the cadets who are destined for com- 
missions in the regular army. The govern- 
ment was fortunate in the choice of the first 
commandant. Col. Hewitt of the Royal 
Engineers, who, in addition to being an 
accomplished scholar and a good soldier, 
was possessed of great tact and energy, and 
knew Canada from former service. To his 
skill is due in large measure the success which 
attended the college from its very outset, and 
his guiding hand directed it through the diffi- 
culties which invariably attend the early 
career of a new institution, which, in this 
case, was to a large extent an experiment. 
Having completed his term he returned in 
1886 to Plymouth, and was succeeded by Col. 
Oliver of the Royal Artillery, who had been 
professor of surveying and astronomy from 
the beginning, and who proved himself to be 
a worthy successor. The present head of the 
institution is Maj.-Gen. Cameron, late of 
the Royal Artillery. I 

Sir Frederick Middleton, now retired 
from the command of the Canadian forces, 
took a deep interest, officially and personally, 
in the college, and during its early days 
helped it with counsel and advice, which his 
experience at Sandhurst well qualified him to 
give. The general officer commanding the 
militia is ex-officio president of the college. 

The entrance examinations are held in 
June at the headquarters of each military 
district, and the twenty-four successful can- 
didates report themselves at the opening 
of the term the following September. The 
first week is spent in being uniformed and 
drilled into some kind of form. The sec- 
ond week the old cadets return, and the gar- 
rison settles down to hard work. The daily 
routine embraces drill and class parades, 
study and other duties. From reveille to 
tattoo, with the exception of two hours — from 
four to six, during which he is free — the cadet 
is under the eye of authority in the class or 
lecture room or on parade. There is none of 
that loitering which so often takes place at 
civil colleges, none of that individual liberty 
which often means license. The cadet has. 



CANADA'S WEST POINT. 



29 



however, two half holidays, on Wednesday and 
Saturday, when he may go out on pass till 
eleven o'clock, or with extra leave till one. 
Balls and parties in Kingston are timed for 
these days, for the cadet, with his gay scarlet 
uniform, is an important factor in the social 
world. While attending the college the cadets 
are of course subject to the Queen's Regula- 
tions, the Army Act, the Militia Act, and such 
other rules and regulations as Her Majesty's 
troops are subject to. 

The physical training is excellent. Sergt.- 
Major Morgan, of the Scots Guards, pre- 
sides over this department, and well qualified 
he is to fill the position. Cadets who pass 
four years under his instruction come out 
with deep chests and erect figures, and show 
what a thorough physical training can accom- 
plish. 

One of the rewards of good conduct is pro- 
motion to the rank of non-commissioned 
officer, the commandant having authority to 
appoint such from among those best qualified. 
Proud is he who is invested with the chevrons, 
or given the right to wear the sergeant's sash. 

But while subject to strict discipline the 
cadets have opportunities to cultivate their 
social qualities. One of the events of the 
season is the annual sports, which take place 
in September. The campus is alive with car- 
riages and pedestrians, while pretty girls, with 
their chaperons, form the center of groups 
engaged in animated conversation, or watch- 
ing with interest the various competitions of 
speed and skill. Races, jumping competitions 
and steeplechases follow each other in quick 
succession, while the tug of war between the 
right and left wings creates almost as much 
interest as the struggle on the Isis between 
the college eights. The games over, all ad- 
journ to the gymnasium, where the prizes, 
more substantial than the crown of ivy at the 
Olympic games, are distributed to the victors. 
Tea and an impromptu dance follow in the 
college halls. 

A ball is given at Christmas by the staff and 
cadets, and a yet more elaborate entertainment 
of similar character at the close of the college 
year in June. On closing day a series of field 



manoeuvers takes place, with blowing up of 
imaginary fortifications and fleets, and an ex- 
hibition of drill and bayonet exercise, after 
which the results of the examinations are an- 
nounced, the prizes distributed, and the ses- 
sion brought to a termination. The governor- 
general, the minister of militia, or someone 
else high in authority, is secured, if possible, 
to distribute the prizes and make a speech. 
Four commissions, one each in the engineers, 
artillery, cavalry and infantry branches of the 
imperial service, are available, the cadets who 
stand highest on the honor roll, if otherwise 
eligible, being entitled to them in the order 
named. The first two are eagerly sought, the 
third generally goes a-begging, as there are 
few Canadian youths with sufficient means to 
keep up a position in such an expensive branch 
of the service, in which case an additional 
commission in the infantry is generally substi- 
tuted. All who have taken the full four years' 
course, and qualified in all the obligatory sub- 
jects, are entitled to receive a diploma of 
graduation, those who have specially dis- 
tinguished themselves also receiving honors. 
Those who leave at the end of two years, and 
pass the subjects required, receive a certificate 
of military qualification only. 

After the official proceedings are over on 
the closing day the cadets have a parade of 
their own, when the members of the graduat- 
ing class have to undergo an ordeal of hand- 
shaking and leave-taking in true college form. 
A valedictory dinner in the evening follows, 
and then steamer and car bear the cadets off, 
and the halls are deserted for three months. 

Some of the passed cadets of the college 
have already won fame for themselves. The 
name of Stairs, who accompanied Stanley 
in his march through darkest Africa, is well 
known the world over. Lieut. Hewitt served 
in the Soudan and bears a medal won on the 
banks o£ the Nile, and Lieut. Dobell has 
distinguished himself for bravery in Burmah. 

Occasion has not yet arisen to call into full 
play the energies of the rapidly-growing mem- 
bers of the graduates of the Royal Military 
College, and it is therefore too early to judge 
of its full benefit to Canada. But the opinion 



30 



A SOUVENIR OF THE ST. LAWRENCE RIVER. 



of Lord Lansdowne, expressed when gover- 
nor-general, is worth quoting. These are his 
words : 

"There is no Canadian institution of which Can- 
ada should be prouder or which will do better ser- 
vice to the country and to the empire. It forms an 
interesting and distinctive feature in the military 
sj'Stem of the Dominion. That system, as I under- 
stand it, is based upon the recognition of the fact 
that Canada cannot afford in her own interests, or in 
those of the empire, to disregard those precautions 
which every civilized community takes in order to 
ensure its own safety from internal commotion or 
external attack. Upon the other hand it is a system 
entirely opposed to the establishment of a numerous 
standing army or to the withdrawal of a large body 
of citizens from the peaceful pursuits which are 
essential to the progress and development of the 
country. 

" That being so, it is clear that in case of a national 
emergency the Dominion would have to trust largely 
to the spontaneous efforts of its own people, to the 
expansion of its existing organization, and the rapid 
development of the resources already at our command. 

"But, gentlemen, it is needless for me to point 
out to you that there is one thing which it is im- 
possible to produce on the spur of the moment, and 
(1 at is a body of trained officers, competent to take 
r!iarge of new levies or to supervise operations 
necessary for the defense of the national territory, 
and therefore it appears to me that we cannot over- 
rate the value of an institution which year by year is 



turning out men who have received within its wall 
a soldier's education in the best sense of the word 
and who, whatever their primary destination, will, I 
do not doubt, be found available whenever their ser- 
vices are required by the country." 

The cost of education at the Military Col- 
lege is not unreasonable. Each cadet is re- 
quired to deposit annually $200 to cover the 
cost of messing and quarters, and in addition 
$200 the first year and $150 each year after- 
wards for uniform, books and instruments. 
The messman receives forty-six cents per day 
for each cadet present. Extras are obtainable 
at fixed prices. No cadet is allowed to spend 
more than $2 per month, non-commissioned 
officers more than $4, for extras, which they 
pay out of their pocket money. 

In addition to the full course of four years 
and the military course of two years, pro- 
vision has been made at the college for officers 
of the militia, who require higher instruction 
than the military schools afford, to take a 
three months' course, one class being in- 
structed each year. By this means a number 
of officers have been enabled to qualify for 
important positions in the service. 

Taken all in all, Canada's West Point has 
been an unqualified success. 






AN INTERNATIONAL BOOK. 



IT has been the constant endeavor of the 
editor of this book to preserve its inter- 
national character, not forgetting for a mo- 
ment that Canada has a much more extended 
proprietorship over the St. Lawrence river 
than has the United States. For many miles 
below Montreal the river runs through terri- 
tory exclusively Canadian. No sincere patriot 
would desire to disturb, by word or deed, the 
friendly relations existing between the two 
great English-speaking peoples, whose united 
voice could control any matter of public policy, 
either in America or in the east. Canada is 



a vast country, larger than the whole United 
States in extent, for her territory extends very 
far north and joins our own country upon the 
north Pacific ocean. There have been efforts 
in the past, participated in by hair-brained 
plotters, to disturb the fraternal feeling be--- 
tween the two countries, but such efforts now 
find but slight recognition upon either side of 
the line. The press of both countries is 
friendly to fraternal feelings, and the public 
official business upon the whole frontier, from 
the farthest west to the dividing line upon the 
east, is conducted without serious disturbance. 



GENERAL DESCRIPTION, 



Historical and Otlierwise, witln some Opinions of Travellers. 



<ff 



'HE route of the St. Lawrence has long 
been noted for the variety and beauty of 
its scenery. The traveller coming up from the 
sea, should he turn aside to explore the chasm 
of the Saguenay, would witness a scene of 
grandeur scarcely equaled by any other of its 
kind in any part of the world. Further up, 
the Rapids of the St. Lawrence present in suc- 
cession displays of majestic power and volume 
that command admiration, and on finally reach- 
ing the level or navigable waters above, the 
approach to the first of the Great Lakes leads 
throught a labyrinth of islands, which, for 
variety of scenery and quiet beauty, have 
seldom failed to awaken the enthusiasm of the 
traveller. 

To this group of islands, with their histori- 
cal associations, and the impressions which 
their scenery has inspired, the greater part of 
this volume is devoted. 

In arranging the materials of this work, the 
editor has been engaged in no small degree in 
presenting the thoughts of others ; bat, believ- 
ing that the enjoyment of this scenery would 
be enhanced by learning the manner in which 
it has impressed those who have witnessed it 
in the years that are past, he has sought to 
present as wide a range of these impressions 
as opportunities allowed, yet not failing to 
present much that is original and never before 
published. 

No one will doubt that places acquire extra- 
ordinary interest when associated with great 
events, or even when linked with the ideal 
incidents of poetry and romance. In allusion 
to the interest which these associations impart 



to so many places in the Old World, while 
there are comparatively few in the New, the 
naturalist Wilson, in whom were united a keen 
perception of the beauties of nature and a. 
highly poetic temperament, in the opening 
part of his Foresters, says: 

" Yet Nature's charms, that bloom so lovely here, 

Unhailed arrive, unheeded disappear; 

While bare, bleak heaths, and brooks of half a mile 

Can rouse the thousand bards of Britain's Isle. 

There, scarce a stream creeps down its narrow bed, 

There, scarce a hillock lifts its little head, 

Or humble hamlet peeps their glades among. 

But lives and murmurs in immortal song. 

Our western world, with all its matchless floods, 

Our vast transparent lakes and boundless woods. 

Stamped with the traits of majesty sublime, 

Unhonored weep the silent lapse of time; 

Spread their wild grandeur to the unconscious sky. 

In sweetest seasons pass unheeded by; 

While scarce one Muse returns the song they gave, 

Or seeks to snatch their glories from the grave." 

In some of the prose descriptions that fol- 
low, the reader will find a poetry of sentiment 
and imagery of thought that cannot fail to 
engage the attention. In others, there are 
incidents and events described that may add 
new interest to this region, especially those 
relating to the accounts of travel in the olden 
time, with the humble accomodations and the 
discomforts of the period, that afford a strik- 
ing contrast with the exact appointments and 
the ample luxuries of the present day. 

Early Indian History. 

"In the beginning," so far as history or 
tradition extends back into the past, this region 



32 



A SOUVENIR OF THE ST. LAWRENCE RIVER. 



was the border-land of the Algonquin and the 
Iroquois, — the former dwelling for the most 
part to the northward and eastward, while the 
latter, at least in the later period, had their 
principal homes along the lakes and rivers of 
Central and Western New York. 

i The early historians of Canada record the 
fact that a bloody war was going on between 
the Adirondacks or Algonquins on the St. 
Lawrence, and the Iroquois or Five Nations 
of the region now included in Central and 
Western New York, when the country was 
first visited by the French. Champlain took 
part in this war on the part of the former, and 
by the use of fire-arms, hitherto unknown in 
Indian warfare, turned the tide of success for 
a time in favor of his allies — but gained 
thereby the lasting hatred of their enemies 
towards the French. The origin of this war- 
fare is traced by tradition to a long time 
before the first appearance of the white man, 
and although not measured by moons or sea- 
sons, it still appeared to be consistent, and 
probable, — and according to the little that 
could be gathered, was as follows : 

The Algonquins and the Iroquois had lived 
for a long time in harmony, the former being 
the stronger, and chiefly subsisting by the 
chase, while the latter were more inclined to 
fishing and agriculture. Now and then the 
young men of the two races would go out on 

, their hunting expeditions together, but in 
these the superiority of the man who killed 
the game, over him who skinned and dressed 
it, was always insisted upon, and when the 
party saw an opportunity, it was the business 
of the one to pursue and slay, and of the 
other to stand by and see it done. 

At one time, half a dozen of each class 
were out in the winter on a hunting excur- 
sion together. They saw some elk and imme- 
diately pursued them, but the Algonquins, 
presuming on their superiority, would not 
suffer the young Iroquois to take part, at the 
same time giving them to understand that 
they would soon have business enough on 
hand in taking care of the game they were 
about to kill. Three days were spent in vain 
pursuit, for although they saw there was an 



abundance of game, ill-luck followed them at 
every step. 

At length the Iroquois offered to go out 
themselves, and the former, not doubting but 
that a like failure would soon put an end to 
their unwelcome comments upon their own 
efforts, consented. The tide of success turned 
in their favor, and the Iroquois soon returned 
with an abundance of game. Mortified at 
this result, the jealous Algonquins the next 
night killed all of their successful rivals as 
they lay sleeping. The crime, although con- 
cealed and denied, was soon discovered, and 
the Iroquois at first made their complaints 
with moderation — simply asking that justice 
should be done to the murderers. 

No attention was paid to these complaints, 
and the injured party took justice into their 
own hands, solemnly vowing to exterminate 
the haughty race or perish in the attempt. 
Long series of retaliatory inroads were from 
this time made by each into the territories of 
the other, which finally ended greatly to the 
advantage of the Iroquois, and in the almost 
total annihilation of their enemies. The St. 
Francis Indians are a remnant of this once 
powerful tribe. 

Hiawatha. 

The legend of Hiawatha has been rendered 
familiar to most readers of American poetry 
by the metrical version of Longfellow, and the 
prose of Clark, Schoolcraft and others, and 
much controversy has been had with respect 
to the author of the legend as it first appeared 1 
in English. We accept, as fully reliable, the 
statement made by the late Hon. J. V. H. 
Clark, of Manlius, author of the History of 
Onondaga County, in a letter to the New 
York Tribune, in January, 1856, in which the 
claims of various writers and the dates of 
their publications are precisely stated. 

The legend relates to the origin of the 
League of the Iroquois, at a time which no 
record fixes by date, and no circumstance 
acceptable to the historian would lead him to 
locate otherwise than somewhere in that 
period clouded in the uncertainties of the 
forgotten past. We cannot present its begin- 



GENERAL DESCRIPTION. 



33 



ning, which was in this region, more appropri- 
ately than in the original language of IVIr. 
Clark: 

"Hundreds of years ago, Ta-oun-ya-vvat-ha, the 
Deity who presides over fisheries and streams, came 
Jown from his dwelling place in the clouds to visit 
the inhabitants of the earth. He had been deputed 
by the Great and Good Spirit, Ha-wa-ne-u, to visit 
streams and clear the channels from all obstructions, 
to seek out the good things of the country through 
which he intended to pass, that they might be more 
generally disseminated among all the good people 
of the earth — especially to point out to them the 
most excellent fishing grounds, and to bestow upon 
them other acceptable gifts. About this time, two 
young men of the Onondaga Nation were listlessly 
gazing over the calm blue waters of the Lake of a 
Thousand Isles. During their reverie they espied, 
as they thought, far in the distance, a single white 
speck, beautifully dancing over the bright blue 
waters, and while they watched the object with the 
most intense anxiety, it seemed to increase in mag- 
nitude, and moved as if approaching the place where 
they were concealed, most anxiously awaiting the 
event of the visitation of so singular an object — for 
at this time no canoes had ever made their appear- 
ance in the direction whence this was approach- 
ing. As the object neared the s'aore, it proved in 
semblance to be a venerable looking man, calmly 
seated in a canoe of pure white, very curiously con- 
structed and much more ingeniously wrought than 
those in use among the tribes of the countr}'. Like 
a cygnet upon the wide blue sea, so sat the canoe of 
To-oun-ya-wat-haupon the Lake of a Thousand Isles. 

'■ As a frail branch drifts towards the rushing cata- 
ract, so coursed the white canoe over the rippling 
waters, 'propelled by the strong arm of the god of the 
river. Deep thought sat on the brow of the gray- 
headed mariner : penetration marked his eye, and 
deep, dark mystery pervaded his countenance With 
a single oar he silently paddled his light-trimmed 
bark along the shore, as if seeking a commodious 
haven of rest. He soon turned the prow of his 
fragile vessel into the estuary of the ' double river,' 
and made fast to the western shore. He majestically 
ascended the steep bank, nor stopped till he had 
gained the loftiest summit of the western hill. 
Then silently gazing around as if to examine the 
country, he became enchanted with the view, and 
drawing his stately form to its utmost height, he ex- 
claimed in accents of the wildest enthusiasm, Osh- 
wah-kee, Osh-wah-kee." 

He approached the two young hunters, 
gained their confidence, and having drawn 
from them a knowledge of the difficulties un- 
der which they labored, disclosed to thein the 



spirituality of his character, and the object of 
his inission. He invited them to attend him 
in his passage up the river, and they witnessed 
many things which could only be accounted 
for as miracles, or be described but in the 
wonders of Indian mythology. He ascended 
to the lesser lakes, placed all things in proper 
order for the comfort and sustenance of man, 
taught them how to cultivate corn and beans, 
which had not before been grown by them, 
made the fishing ground free, and opened to 
all the uninterrupted pursuit of game. He 
distributed among mankind the fruits of the 
earth, and removed all obstructions from the 
navigable streams. Being pleased with his 
success, he assumed the character and habits 
of a man, and received the name Hi-a-wat-ha, 
(signifying " very wise man,") and fixed his 
residence on the beautiful shores of Cross 
Lake. After a time, the country became 
alarmed by a hostile invasion, when he called 
a council of all the tribes from the east and 
the west, and in a long harangue urged upon 
them the importance of uniting theinselves in 
a league for their common defense and mutual 
happiness. They deliberated upon his advice, 
and the next day adopted and ratified the 
League of Union which he recommended. 
As Lycurgus gave law to the Spartans, and 
swore them to faithfully observe its precepts 
until his return from a journey, and then de- 
parted to return no more, so Hi-a-wat-ha, 
having brought the council to a close, and as 
the assembled tribes vifere about to separate 
on their return home, arose in a dignified 
manner, and thus addressed them : 

" Friends and Brothers : — I have now fulfilled my 
mission upon earth ; I have done everything which 
can be done at present for the good of this great 
people. Age, infirmity and distress sit heavil)- upon 
me. During my sojourn among 3'ou I have re- 
moved all obstructions from your streams. Canoes 
can now pass everywhere. I have given you good 
fishing waters and good hunting grounds; I have 
taught you how to cultivate corn and beans, and 
have learned you the art of making cabins. Many 
other blessings I have liberally bestowed upon you. 

" Lastly, I have now assisted you to form an ever- 
lasting league and covenant of strength and friend- 
ship, for your future safety and protection. If you 
preserve it without the admission of other people 



34 



A SOUVENIR OF THE ST. LAWRENCE RIVER. 



\ 



you will always be free, numerous and mighty. If 
other nations are admitted to your councils, they 
will sow jealousies among you, and you will become 
enslaved, few and feeble. Remember these words : 
they are the last you will hear from the lips of Hi-a- 
wat-ha. Listen, my friends ; the Great-Master-of- 
Breath calls me to go. I have patiently waited his 
summons. I am ready : Farewell." 

As the wise man closed his speech, there 
burst upon the ears of the assembled multi- 
tude the cheerful sounds of the most delight- 
ful singing voices. The whole sky seemed 
filled with the sweetest melody of celestial 
music; and heaven's high arch echoed and re- 
echoed the touching strains till the whole vast 
assembly was completely absorbed in rapturous 
ecstacy. Amidst the general confusion which 
now prevailed, and while all eyes were turned 
towards the etherial regions, Hi-a-wat-ha was 
seen majestically seated in his canoe, grace- 
fully rising higher and higher above their 
heads through the air until he became entirely 
lost from the view of the assembled throng, 
who witnessed his wonderful ascent in mute 
and admiring astonishment — while the fasci- 
nating music gradually became more plaintive 
and low, and finally sweetly expired in the 
softest tones upon their ears, as the wise man 
Hi-a-wat-ha, the godlike Ta-ounya-wat-ha, 
retired from their sight, as mysteriously as he 
first appeared from The Lake of a Thousand 
Isles, and quietly entered the regions inhabited 
only by the favorites of the great and good 
spirit Ha-wah-ne-u. 

In the legend, as rendered by Longfellow, 
no allusion to this region is specifically made, 
and the scene of events is located in the west, 
on the south shore of Lake Superior, in the 
region beyond the Pictured Rocks and the 
Grand Sable. 

Creation of the Indian Race. 

Among the traditions of various Indian 
tribes we find a legend of their creation, 
which, although differing more or less in de- 
tails, agrees in ascribing their origin to a peo- 
ple who came out of the ground. Of this 
mythological belief we have an interesting ex- 
ample in this part of the world, as given by 



M. Pouchet, a French writer of acknowledged 
merit, who recorded what he saw and heard. 
This writer was an officer in the French ser- 
vice, and commanded Fort Levis, on the Oraco- 
nenton Isle, a short distance below Ogdens- 
burg, when this last stronghold of the French 
was captured by Lord Amhurst in 1760. 

He subsequently prepared a history of the 
events in which he had himself borne an im- 
portant part, which was published some yea.-s 
after his death, and in this he gives much in- 
formation concerning the Indians who then 
inhabited this region. In describing the shores 
of Lake Ontario, he speaks of a great arc of 
sand hills along the eastern end of the lake, 
behind which are marshy meadows, through 
which the rivers wind. This description clearly 
identifies these streams with those now known 
as the North and South Branches of Sandy 
Creek, in the town of Ellisburgh, Jefferson 
county, which unite just above the point where 
they enter the lake. They are remarkable in 
this, that at the head of the South Branch is 
the place where the traditions of the Iroquois 
fix the spot " where they issued from the 
ground, or rather, according to their tradi- 
tions, where they were born." 

Traces of Indian Records on the St. 
Lawrence. 

Opposite the village of Oak Point, in Tiliza- 
beth Township, Canada, there existed in 1S50, 
and perhaps does still, a rude representation 
of a canoe with thirty-five men, and near it a 
cross. On the rocks below Rockville there 
were two similar paintings, each being a canoe 
with six men. A deer rudely painted on the 
rocks was found on the shore of Black Lake, 
a few miles inland from Morristown, and 
doubtless other rude sketches of the kind may 
be found. These are probably of compara- 
tively modern origin, or at most not earlier 
than the time of European settlement. They 
may have been significant of some event 
at the time when made, but whatever the 
objects may have been, they have passed. into 
oblivion with the memory of those who made 
them. 



GENERAL DESCRIPTION. 



35 



Expeditions of De Courcelle and De 
Tracy. 
In the papers relating to De Courcelle'sand 
De Tracy's expeditions against the Mohawk 
Indians (1665-6), in describing the routes 
leading into the Iroquois country, the naviga- 
tion of the St. Lawrence is mentioned as ex- 
ceedingly difficult until the rapids are passed. 

"But when the mouth of the Great Lake is 
reached, the navigation is easy, when the waters are 
tranquil, becoming insensibly wider at first, then 
about two-thirds, next one-half, and finally out of 
sight of land; especiall)' after one has passed an 
infinity of little islands which are at the entrance of 
the lake in such great numbers, and in such a 
variety, that the most experienced Iroquois pilots 
sometimes lose themselves there, and have consid- 
erable difhcult}' in distinguishing the course to be 
steered in the confusion, and, as it were, in the laby- 
rinth formed by the islands. Some of these are 
only huge rocks rising out of the water, covered 
merely by moss or a few spruce or other stunted 
wood, whose roots spring from the clefts of the 
rocks which can supply no other aliment or moist- 
ure to these barren trees than what the rains furnish 
them. After leaving this abode the lake is discov- 
ered, appearing like unto a sea without islands or 
bounds, where barks and ships can sail in all safety 
so that the communications would be easy between 
all the French colonies that could be established on 
the borders of this great lake which is more than a 
hundred leagues long, by thirty or fort)' wide." 

French Missionaries. 

Among the pioneers of discovery were the 
missionaries who were sent out to gain the 
friendship and secure the conversion of the 
Indian tribes of the interior. These zealous 
men allowed no obstacles or dangers to inter- 
rupt their efforts or dampen their ardor, but 
with an energy and perseverance tliat cannot 
fail to excite our admiration, they pursued 
their way to the remotest parts of the interior, 
where some lived many years among the sav- 
ages amid all the privations of a wilderness, 
and others were murdered, or miserably per- 
ished in the solitudes of the forest. We can 
here mention but a few of these pioneers and 
discoverers: 

Francois de Salignac de Fenelon, half 
brother of the illustrious French writer, the 
Archbishop of Cambray, came to Canada in 



1667, and was for some time engaged in the 
Indian missions at Toronto and elsewhere. 

The Abbe Fenelon accompanied the Count 
de Frontenac to Lake Ontario in 1673. 

Louis Hennepin, a Franciscan, came to 
Canada in 1675, and was stationed the next 
year at Frontenac, Kingston. He was after- 
wards sent by La Salle to explore the country, 
and was the first European who saw the Mis- 
sissippi river. In 1697 he published an ac- 
count of remote regions that he pretended to 
have visited, but which is now regarded in 
part at least as a fiction. Father Marquette 
also made extensive journeys in the west, and 
died at Mackinaw, May 14, 1675. Menard, 
Allouez and many others passed this way on 
their journeys to distant points, but these men 
were, as a rule, little given to romantic 
descriptions, and their " relations " pertain 
more to the proper object of their missions, 
than to the scenery that they passed. 

Father Emmanuel Crespel, in a little work 
published in 1742, describes some incidents of 
a journey into the Indian country on the 
Upper Lakes. He was fifteen days going 
from Montreal to Frontenac, and was there 
detained some time in waiting for a vessel to 
Niagara. This was of about eighty tons bur- 
then, and apparently the only one then on the 
lake. The passage was made in less than 
thirty-six hours. The lake was very calm 
and he sounded with a line of a hundred 
fathoms without finding bottom. 

On his return he remained two years at 
Frontenac, when he was recalled to Montreal, 
and soon afterwards was sent to La Pointe de 
la Chevelure on the east side of Lake Cham- 
plain, in the present State of Vermont, and 
opposite the French post at Crown Point. 

First Military Establishment Upon Lake 
Ontario — Fort Frontenac. — (1673.) 

[n order to protect the French interests, the 
Count de Frontenac resolved to establish a 
military post at the outlet of the Lake, and 
with the view of impressing the natives with 
the power of the French, he resolved to take 
two flat bottomed canoes up the rapids, and 
even to mount them with cannon, to inspire 



36 



A SOUVENIR OF THE ST. LAWRENCE RIVER. 



them with awe. The boats were built after a 
particular model, painted unlike anything ever 
seen before, and were each manned by sixteen 
men. With these and about one hundred and 
twenty bark canoes he left Montreal on the 
1 6th of June, and in about three weeks reached 
the beginning of smooth-water navigation. 
Hearing that the Indians had assembled in 
great numbers, and were uneasy about the ob- 
ject of his expedition, he resolved to proceed 
with caution, in one body, and in closer column 
than before. The weather was so serene, and 
the navigation so smooth, that they made more 
than ten leagues the first day, and went into 
camp at a cove about a league and a half from 
Grenadier Island, where the eel-fishing begins. 
In his Journal he says: 

" We had the pleasure on the way to catch a small 
loon, a bird about as large as a European Outarde, 
of the most beautiful plumage, but very difficult to 
be caught alive, as it dives constantly under, so that 
it is no small rarity to be able to take one. A cage 
was made for it, and orders were given to endeavor 
to raise it, in order to send it to the King. On the 
mh [of July], the weather continuing fine, a good 
day's journey was made, having passed all that vast 
group of islands with which the river is spangled, 
and camped at a point above the river called Gana- 
noque, up which many of them go hunting. It has a 
very considerable channel. Two more loons were 
caught alive, and a kind of deer, but the head and 
antlers are handsomer than the deer of France." 

The narrative continues with an account of 
the regal manner with which the Count de 
Frontenac entered the lake, and the inter- 
views he had with the Indians. In short, 
nothing which pomp and ceremony — the 
waving of banners, martial music, and the dis- 
charge of cannon could do, was omitted, to 
impress the wondering natives with an over- 
whelming idea of the omnipotence of the 
French. The speeches and proceedings of 
the occasion are all found fully recorded. 
The outline of a fort was at once traced out, 
and its construction commenced. Beginning 
work by daylight on the 14th, the ground was 
cleared before night. The Indians were as- 
tonished to see the large clearance made in a 
day — some squaring timber in one place ; 
others fetching pickets ; and others cutting 



trenches, all at the same time, and with the 
greatest dispatch and order. 

Expedition of De La Barre. — (1684.) 

De La Barre, Governor of Canada from 
1682 to 1685, had distinguished himself in 
the West Indies, where he had taken Antigua 
and Montserat from the English. In 1684, 
he repaired to Fort Frontenac, and ordered 
three vessels which the French had built upon 
the lake to be repaired, with the design of 
crossing to the country of the Iroquois, and 
frightening the people into his own terms of 
peace. His army consisted of 600 soldiers, 
400 Indians, and 400 men for carrying pro- „ 
visions, besides 300 men left in the fort. I 

The Governor tarried six weeks at Fronte- 
nac, his encampment being near a pestilential 
marsh, causing so great sickness and mortality 
that he found himself unable to accomplish 
his object by force of arms. He accordingly 
resolved to effect what he could by treaty, 
and having vainly hoped to obtain the co- 
operation of Gov. Dongan, he sent agents to 
invite the Five Nations to a council. The 
Governor of New York, although in sympathy 
with the religious influences so actively em- 
ployed by the French, did not consent to any 
concurrence, but secretly put every obstacle 
in the way; and in this he so far succeeded, 
that the Mohawks and Senecas remained at 
home. The other tribes, who were more un- 
der the influence of the French missionaries, 
sent representatives to meet him, consisting 
ofGarangula and thirty warriors. The place 
of meeting was at the mouth of Salmon river, 
at the eastern end of Lake Ontario, about 
forty miles from Onondaga castle. 

After remaining two days in the French 
camp, the Governor proceeded to address the 
Indians, a circle being formed by the French 
officers on one side, and Garangula and his 
warriors on the other. 

We have not space to print the speeches 
made upon each side by the " high contract- 
ing parties," but De la Barre entirely failed 
in placating or overawing the Indians, who 
became insolent, and at last openly defied that 
officer, who was soon compelled to retreat, and 



GENERAL DESCRIPTION. 



37 



his command reached Frontenac (Kingston) 
at last much demoralized. The expedition 
was so much of a failure as to be almost stig- 
matized as puerile. 

Expedition of De Nonville. — (1685.) 

In 1685, the Marquis De Nonville made an 
expedition into the Genesee country, but left 
no record of local interest concerning the 
islands. 

The Avenging Inroad of the Iroquois 
UPON the French — (1688.) 

Early in July, 1688, an act of perfidy on 
the part of the French brought down upon 
their settlements the terrible vengeance of the 
Iroquois. Passing down the St. Lawrence, 
they landed at Lachine on the 26th of July, 
and fell upon the unsuspecting inhabitants, 
burning, plundering and massacreing in all 
directions, and almost up to the defenses of 
Montreal. They lingered weeks in the coun- 
try, laid waste the settlements far and wide, 
and returned with the loss of only three men. 
The French lost about a thousand persons by 
this inroad, and many prisoners were carried 
off for a fate worse than sudden death. 

The French at Fort Frontenac were obliged 
to burn the two vessels they had on the lake, 
and abandon the fort, first setting a slow 
match to the powder magazine. The fire 
happened to go out before the powder was 
reached, and the place was soon plundered 
by the Indians. The garrison set out in 
seven bark canoes, travelling only by night, 
and hiding by day, and after much difficulty 
reached Montreal with the loss of one canoe 
and all on board. 

De Nonville witnessed the devastation of 
his colony without daring to resist the enemy 
while engaged in their work of ruin, nor on 
their return. He was succeeded the next 
year by Frontenac. 

Onondaga Expedition of the Count De 
Frontenac. 

In i6g6 the Count de Frontenac made an 
incursion into the country of the Onondagas, 



but the only mention that he makes of this 
region is his encampment for a night upon 
what is now known as Grenadier island. 

Subsequent Operations of the French 
on Lake Ontario. 

During the next fifty years, the French 
were steadily extending their trade, and en- 
deavoring to attach the remote Indian tribes 
to their interests. In 1687, they established 
a fort at Niagara, and in 1722 the English 
built a trading house, and in 1727 a fort at 
Oswego. Although England and France were 
during much of this time at peace, and the 
Governors of their colonies on terms of cor- 
respondence, there was probably no period 
down to the conquest of 1760 during which 
each of the two powers was not busy, through 
its agents, in endeavoring to monopolize the 
Indian trade, and in extending this influence 
with the native tribes. 

Indian Mission at Oswegatchie; La 
Presentation. — (1749. ^ 

A considerable number of Iroquois, chiefly 
Onondagas, having been induced to settle on 
the St. Lawrence, a mission was established in 
1749, at the mouth of the Oswegatchie, on the 
site of the present city of Ogdensburg. This 
mission was named La Presentation, and its 
founder was Francis Picquet, a Sulpician. 
During the first season he built a storehouse 
and a small fort, but before the end of the 
year his settlement was attacked by a band of 
Mohawks, who burned two vessels loaded with 
hay, and the palisades of the fort. After this, 
some soldiers were stationed here for protec- 
tion. The station progressed rapidly, and in 
1 75 1 a saw mill was begun. 

The English who had built a trading house 
and a fort at Oswego many years before, 
naturally looked with jealousy upon this estab- 
lishment by the French. Word was brought 
to them by the Indians, concerning their posts 
lately erected on the Ohio, and the informant 
said "he heard a bird sing that a great many 
Indians from his castle, and others from the 
Five Nations, were gone to Swegage." 

In June, 1754, the celebrated Congress of 



38 



A SOUVENIR OF THE ST. LAWRENCE RIVER. 



Representatives from the English Colonies, 
met at Albany, to consider a Plan of Union 
for their common defense, and on this occasion 
these encroachments were fully discussed. 

In the war which followed, La Presentation 
became a point of outfit and rendezvous for 
many of the war parties that laid waste the 
frontier settlements of the English, from which 
they usually returned bringing prisoners and 
scalps. Many of these expeditions were led 
by Picquet himself. Thomas Mante, in his 
history of the French war, says: 

"As to the Abb6 Picquet, who distinguished him- 
self so much by his brutal zeal, as he did not expose 
himself to any danger, he received no injury; and 
he yet lives, justly despised to such a degree by every 
one who knows anything of his past conduct in 
America, that scarce any officer will admit him to 
his table. However repugnant it must be to every 
idea of honor and humanity, not to give quarter to 
an enemy, when subdued, it must be infinite!}' more 
so not to spare women and children. Yet such had 
often been the objects of the Abb6 Picquet's cruel 
advice, enforced by the most barbarous examples, 
especially in the English settlements on the back of 
Virginia and Pennsylvania." 

He returned to France, where he died July 
15, 1781. He was succeeded at La Presenta- 
tion (Ogdensburg) by La Garde, a Sulpician, 
and the mission was continued until broken 
up in 1760. The Oswegatchies continued to 
live on the south shore and on the islands at 
the head of the Rapids until 1806, when the 
proprietor of the lands caused their removal, 
a part going to St. Regis, and others return- 
ing to Onondaga. Some years since, the cor- 
ner-stone of a building erected near the site 
of the present light-house, at the entrance of 
the harbor at Ogdensburg, was found in 
taking down the building. It may now be 
seen over the door of a building erected for a 
State arsenal in that city, and bears the fol- 
lowing inscription: 

In nomine + Dei Omnipotentis 

Huic habitationi initiadedit 

Frans Picquet. 1749. 

These premises remained standing when set- 
tlement began under title from the State, in 
1796, and until long afterwards. They were 
fitted up for a store and for dwellings until 



better could be built, and the site of the foun- 
dations may still be traced. 

Operations in 1755-6: Capture of Oswego. 

The war, which ended in the conquest of 
Canada, is without incident so far as relates to 
the Thousand Islands; but many events oc- 
curred upon this frontier, which became the 
thoroughfare of large armies, the only com- 
munication then known being by the river, 
between the settled parts of Canada and the 
upper lakes. 

In the summer of 1755 *'''^ French were en- 
gaged in strengthening the post at Frontenac, 
and later in the season at Niagara. The first 
detachment in going up was met by a party of 
Indians among the Islands on the ist of Au- 
gust. They had a number of scalps, and gave 
the first intimation received in Canada of the 
defeat of Braddock's army near Fort DuQuesne 
a fortnight before. This success of the French 
determined many of the Indians to take up 
arms against the English, and many of the 
cannon captured on that occasion were used 
by the French at Niagara and elsewhere on 
the northern border during the following year. | 

In 1756, considerable bodies of troops were 
sent from France, and in May, the Marquis de 
Montcalm, Gen. Bourlamaque, two engineers, 
and an army of 1,350 regulars, 1,500 Canadians 
and 250 Indians, ascended the river to Fort 
Frontenac, and M. de Villers, with 500 men, 
established a post of observation on Six-town 
Point, in the present town of Henderson, Jef- 
ferson county, the outlines of which may still 
be plainly traced. It was square, built of up- 
right timbers, with bastions at the corners, and 
was surrounded by a ditch, and at the time 
hidden from view by surrounding trees and 
bushes. This officer, who was captain of the 
marine, was brave and prudent, and had 
greatly annoyed the English by pillaging their 
munitions, and obliging them to take great pre- 
cautions in sending provisions to their troops 
at Oswego. 

Montcalm left Fort Frontenac for Point 
Peninsula on the 5th of August, and on the 
7th the French appeared before Oswego. 
There were at this time two forts at this place 



GENERAL DESCRIPTION. 



39 



— Fort Ontario on the east side, and Fort 
Pepperell on the west. The latter, then newly 
erected, was 120 feet square, a rampart of 
earth and stone, 20 feet thick, and 12 feet 
high, besides the parapet. 

The French began their approaches on the 
12th, and on the next day the English, hav- 
ing spiked their guns and destroyed their pro- 
visions and ammunition, withdrew tothe old 
fort on the eastern bank. This Col. Mercer 
was also obliged to surrender on the 17th. 
The English force consisted of 2,400 men, 
who yielded upon terms dictated by Mont- 
calm, with all their effects, munitions, arms 
and military stores. 

It is stated by English historians that, not- 
withstanding the pledges of Montcalm, twenty 
of the garrison were given up to the Indians, 
by way of atonement for the loss of friends, 
and that all the sick in the hospital were 
scalped. At least one hundred men are said 
' to have fallen victims to Indian ferocity after 
the surrender, the remainder being taken 
down to Montreal, where they were mostly 
exchanged. The French did not attempt to 
hold this post after surrender, but most of 
the provisions were sent to Niagara and the 
artillery to Frontenac and Montreal. Accord- 
ing to Pouchot, the government got small re- 
turns of the booty, as it was mostly stolen or 
converted to private use by the commissaries, 
stewards and other agents of the service, who 
lost no opportunity of enriching themselves at 
the king's expense. Some of the very articles 
captured were sold back to the government 
through contractors. Two sloops were set on 
fire by the French and cast adrift upon the 
lake. The greater part of the French army 
returned a week afterwards to Montreal, and 
appeared later the same season upon Lake 
Champlain. 

Destruction of Fort Frontenac, (1758)- 
In August, 1758, Colonel John Bradstreet 
arrived at Oswego with an army of 3,34° men 
and crossed the lake to Fort Frontenac, which 
he captured with a trifling loss. After de- 
stroying the fort and securing what he could 
of the immense military stores there deposited. 



he returned without accident to Oswego. He 
repaired the works on the east side of the 
river at that place, which remained in British 
possession until surrendered to the United 
States under treaty in June, 1796. 

Expedition of Lord Amherst, (1760). 

The war between the French and English 
in North America, which begun in 1755, had 
led, by the end of 1759, to the reduction of 
Niagara, Ticonderoga, Crown Point and 
Quebec. To complete the conquest, three 
expeditions were planned for 1760 : one from 
Quebec, another by way of Lake Champlain, 
and a third by way of Oswego and the St. 
Lawrence river. The latter was placed under 
General Jeffrey Amherst, and the forces as- 
sembled at Oswego were reported on the 5th 
of August as consisting of the 1st and 2d bat- 
talion of Royal Highlanders, the 44th, 46th 
and 55th regiments, the 4th battalion of the 
60th, eight companies of the 77th, five of the 
80th, 597 grenadiers, an equal number of 
light infantry, 146 rangers, three battalions of 
the New York regiment, the New Jersey regi- 
ment, four battalions of the Connecticut regi- 
ment, and 157 of the Royal Artillery — 
amounting in all to 10,142 effective men, 
officers included. There were besides 706 
Indian warriors under Sir William Johnson. 

The first detachment of troops sailed in 
two vessels, the Mohawk and the Onondaga, 
on the 7th, to take post at the entrance of 
the St. Lawrence. On the 13th all had em- 
barked, and on the evening of that day they 
encamped at the head of the St. Lawrence. 
Captain Loring, with the two vessels, who had 
been the first to leave Oswego, lost his way 
among the islands, and while endeavoring to 
extricate himself, the main army passed him. 
They, however, arrived a day or two after at 
Point au Baril, near the present village of 
Maitland, where the French the year before 
had built a dock, and established a fortified 
ship-yard. The grenadiers and row-galleys 
had, in the meantime, taken an advanced posi- 
tion at Oswegatchie, preparatory to an attack 
upon Fort Levis. 

This fort stood upon an island called Ora- 



40 



A SOUVENIR OF THE ST. LAWRENCE RIVER. 



conenton by the Indians, and He Royale by 
the French, — about three miles below the 
mouth of the Oswegatchie, and near the mid- 
dle of the channel, which it completely com- 
manded. In modern times it is known as 
Chimney island, from the ruins of the French 
works still visible upon it. (In Canada.) 

The works upon this island were begun un- 
der the direction of the Chevalier de Levis in 
the summer of 1759, and finished in 1760 by 
Pouchot. A map given by Mante shows that 
the border of the island was set with the 
trunks of trees having their tops still on, 
and firmly set in the ground, so as to present 
an impenetrable abatis of brush on every 
side but the landing at the lower end. Within 
this was a breastvvork of earth, and behind this 
a deep ditch filled with water, through the 
middle of which there ran a stockade of strong, 
sharpened pickets, closely set and sloping 
outwards. Inside of the ditch stood the Fort 
proper, consisting of a timber parapet filled 
with earth, with a line of strong, sharpened 
pickets sloping out over the ditch, and plat- 
forms for cannon, and in the center of the 
works the magazines and quarters. The lower 
point of the island was not included within 
the ditch and parapet, but had defensive works 
sufficient to prevent the landing of boats. 

A small church stood near the head of Gallop 
island, a short distance below the fort, at the 
time when this post was taken. The English, 
finding a scalp displayed in the building, 
burned it to the ground. The outline of the 
foundations of this church can still be traced. 

The events attending the reduction of this 
fort — the last that offered any resistance in 
Canada, may be learned from two accounts: 
one by Mante, an English historian of ap- 
proved credit, and the other by Pouchot, the 
French officer who defended the fort, and 
afterwards wrote a history of the war, that 
was published after his death. 

The loss of the English was Iwentv-one killed and 
nineteen wounded. The first shot from the Eng- 



lish battery killed the French officer of artillery. 
Eleven more were killed afterwards, and about forty 
wounded. The garrison, except the pilots, for the 
sake of whom chiefly the place had been attacked, 
were sent to New York; and the general named the 
fort Fort William Augustus. 

Oswegatchie under the English. 

The English continued to occupy Oswe- 
gatchie»as a trading post until 1796, and dur- 
ing the Revolution it was a point of some 
importance as a place for the storage of sup- 
plies, and the transfer of freight from boats to 
vessels. Although the St. Lawrence river had 
been declared the boundary by the Treaty of 
1783, the British held possession of the whole 
line of posts on the northern frontier to 
secure, as they claimed, ^the rights of certain 
British subjects. In the absence of authority 
to prevent it, the owners of land under pur- 
chase from the State suffered great damages 
from timber thieves, who operated extensively 
and without the least restraint. A mill on the 
Oswegatchie owned by one Verne Francis 
Lorimer, a half-pay captain, did an extensive 
business in this line, but the remonstrances of 
proprietors obtained no relief. The usual 
plea when these complaints were brought to 
the attention of officials was that they had no 
jurisdiction in the matter, and that relief 
should be sought in some higher authority. 

According to the terms of "Jay's Treaty," 
all the posts within the United States were to 
be given up on or before June i, 1796. Mr. 
Nathan Ford, agent of Samuel Ogden the 
proprietor, took possession, and at once began 
improvements with an energy that could not 
fail of success. During his absence the first 
winter the Canadians came over, held a town 
meeting, elected civil and military officers 
and opened a land office for selling and set- 
tling his lands; but he made short work with 
these squatters and their title, and the settle- 
ment grew rapidly until its prosperity was 
checked for a time by the embargo of 1812 
and the war. ■ 



rRoMTHEg/Tp^^&v. 




CARLTON ISLAND IN THE REVOLUTION. 



i^)OR more than eighty years the traveller 
I on the river St. Lawrence by way of the 

American channel, could scarcely have failed 
to notice a group of stone chimneys standing 
on the bluff at the head of Carlton Island. 
Inquiry or examination disclosed the fact that 
these old chimney stacks stood within an elabo- 
rately fortified enclosure of which the out- 
lines are not only distinct, but in a degree 
quite perfect, so that the plan is readily deter- 
mined, the system identified, its armament 
approximately adjudged, its magazines and 
barracks located, and, in short, its whole scope, 
object and intent made reasonably plain. 

It will be remembered that the head of 
Carlton Island consists of a comparatively low 
peninsula, connected by a neck of land with 
the main island. On each side of this neck or 
isthmus is a bay, one arm of which is called 
South bay and the other North bay. Back of 
the two bays the island rises abruptly in a steep 
bluff to a height of about sixty feet above the 
water, and upon this bluff the fort was con- 
structed. 

The work occupied three-eighths of an 
octagon, extending from edge to edge of the 



cliff on which it was built, which faces to the 
southwest. The rear, or landward side, was 
protected by a strong earth-work, a ditch, an 
out-work and glacis of stone and a strong 
abatis. The ditch was cut in the limestone 
rock. In the center of each face of the ram- 
parts, and midway between the salients, was 
a strong bastion, constructed for four guns, 
two of which in each bastion could enfilade cor- 
responding angles of the ditch, which was cut 
to a depth of nearly five feet, with an average 
width of twenty-four feet. The scarp was 
vertical and protected by a cheveaux-de-frise 
of cedar logs, sharpened at the outer ends, 
and extending beyond the berme ; these were 
held in place by the earth of the parapet. 
The counterscarp was also vertical, and be- 
yond it extended a couvert way of about the 
same average width as the ditch. There were 
also bomb-proof magazines and barracks 
erected, and a well sunk to a level of or.below 
the water in North bay. On the loth of 
June, 1793, there still remained in the fort 
ten eighteen-pounders, five twelve-pounders, 
two nine-pounders and two six-pounders. In 
1783, ten years previous, six eighteens and 




o 
z 



CARLTON ISLAND IN THE REVOLUTION. 



43 



five twelves had been taken from the arma- 
ment of the fort and placed upon vessels; so 
that the complete armament must have been 
sixteen eighteens, ten twelves, two nines and 
two sixes; in all, thirty guns. 

As early as 1774, Carlton Island, then 
known as Buck, or Deer Island, became a 
trading post of much importance for Quebec 
merchants who were dealing with the Indian 
tribes. In 1775-6 the British government had 
located a military and naval supply depart- 
ment on the island, but it was not until 
August, 1778, that any attempt at fortifying it 
was made. The reasons for so doing may be 
very briefly stated. At the breaking out of 
the War of the Revolution, the British held 
Niagara, Oswego, Fort Frontenac (now Kings- 
ton), and undisputed sway of the lakes and of 
the river St. Lawrence. Sir Guy Carlton 
was governor of the Canadas, and commander- 
in-chief of his Majesty's forces therein. A 
campaign against the colonies was planned 
early in the war, and its management entrusted 
to Gen. John Burgoyne, instead of Sir Guy 
Carlton. The plan was well laid. Bur- 
goyne was to move on Albany by way of 
Lake Champlain; Col. Barry St. Leger was 
to proceed up the St. Lawrence to Oswego 
and thence to Fort Stanwix (Rome), and, re- 
ducing that, reach Albany by way of the 
Mohawk, and form a junction with Burgoyne; 
while Sir Henry Clinton was to move up the 
Hudson River to the same point. But Bur- 
goyne was defeated at Saratoga, St. Leger 
was forced to raise the siege of Fort Stanwix, 
and Clinton failed to reach Albany — so the 
well-laid plan was defeated. Thinking him- 
self aggrieved by the appointment of Bur- 
goyne, Sir Guy Carlton resigned his position 
and returned to England; and Sir Frederick 
Haldimand was appointed to his place. 

In July, 1778, Gen. Haldimand issued an 
order to Lieut. William Twiss of the Engi- 
neers, Lieut. Schank of the Navy, and Capt. 
Aubrey of the 47th Regiment, to proceed to 
the upper St. Lawrence and there select such 
a place as in their judgment was best suited to 
establish a ship-yard and all its necessary re- 
quirements. After a careful examination of 



several points they pitched on Deer Island. 
Capt. Schank had a force of artificers, and 
Capt. Aubrey his own company and a detach- 
ment of Sir John Johnson's " Royal Greens." 
Lieut. Twiss drew the plans for the fort, and 
named it Fort Haldimand, in honor of the 
new commander, and the three officers 
changed the name of the island from " Deer" 
to " Carlton," in honor of their former com- 
mander, Sir Guy Carlton. The fort was never 
fully completed, work being discontinued by 
order of Gen. Haldimand in 1783. 

Daring the War of the Revolution, Carlton 
Island was the most important post above 
Montreal. Many vessels of war and gunboats 
were built in the North Bay, and the place 
was the great depot of military and naval sup- 
plies for the Northwest. It was the place of 
refuge for the Tories of New York, Pennsyl- 
vania and New Jersey. Thayendanagea, the 
great chief of the Six Nations, made this his 
headquarters. Large numbers of those tribes 
encamped on Carlton and Wolfe islands. 
The bloody massacres of the Cedars, Wyo- 
ming, Cherry Valley, and Stony Arabia, were 
planned here, and executed by forces which 
went from here. 

What a contrast between the Carlton Is- 
land of 117 years ago, and now. Then all 
was bustle. Vessels of war were building, a 
fort in construction; the drums beat the 
reveille, and the roar of the evening gun 
startled the echoes amid the dense forests on 
island and mainland. The notes of the bugle 
rang shrill and clear across the crystal waters 
of the St. Lawrence, while the war-whoop of 
the painted Iroquois boded death and disaster 
to the frontier settler. To-day, all is quiet. 
Where the artificers of the Revolution built 
their vessels of war, the artificers of to-day 
are completing the finest cottage on the St. 
Lawrence river. The land earned by his ser- 
vice in the Continental army, and granted to 
a soldier of the Revolution, now belongs 
to a gallant soldier of a later Revolution, 
which established as a permanent fact that 
which the first Revolution only inaugurated 
as an experiment — "The Union, one and 
inseparable." 



44 



A SOUVENIR OF THE ST. LAWRENCE RIVER. 



HON. THOMAS G. ALVORD'S FISHING EXPERIENCES 



UPON THE RIVER, EARLY IN THE FORTIES. 



^HEN I first resolved to proceed with 
the preparation of this Souvenir, my 
mind conceived the idea of asking some one 
of the early frequenters of the Great River to 
write up his early experiences. I knew that 
Silas Wright, and Preston King, and Martin 
Van Buren and his son Prince John, and Dr. 
Bethune, and Dr. Holland, as well as the hun- 
dreds of later men of equal ability, includ- 
ing Grant and Sherman and Sheridan, had 
all passed away — their names now only a 
memory — their presence never more to be 
recognized by the great nation that delighted 
to honor them when living. Casting about 
for some aged one, yet spared, we thought of 
Lieut. Gov. Thomas G. Alvord, of Syracuse, 
and he has graciously complied with our re- 
quest. Without further introduction we give 
his admirable letter; preceding it, however, 
by saying that he was for many years the 
owner and occupant of what is known as 
"Governor's Island," now the property of 
Mr. Emery. It is the first island above the 
one upon which Mr. C. G. Emery built a 
beautiful villa, which he has lately enlarged 
and greatly improved. Mr. Alvord's long 
connection with the political history of the 
State has made his name most familiar to our 
people under the cognomen of " Old Salt," a 
name earned in the Legislature by his persist- 
ent adherence to the fortunes of Syracuse 
where the well-known Onondaga Salt Springs 
have been so long a source of profit to the 
State, as well as the source of very much of 
the earlier wealth and importance of that city. 



Syracuse, February 25, 1895. 

Jno. a. Haddock, Esq.: 

My dear Sir. — -I am in receipt of your 
pleasant letter of request that I dot down 
something of a history of my early experi- 
ences as an amateur fisherman on the glorious 
and lordly St. Lawrence. To this request I 



cheerfully accede, and leave to you the deci- 
sion and final judgment whether or not it 
shall find its way into your contemplated 
history of the St. Lawrence and its t,ooo 
islands. 

I first began my piscatorial career in the 
waters of the Hudson river, nine miles above 
Albany, when I was young enough to be without 
discretion, but old enough to hook a sunfish, 
and consequently came near, on one occasion, 
being drowned by falling from the dock into 
the river. My love for the sport followed me 
into my college life, and as often as possible I 
explored the waters of Long Island Sound for 
its black-fish, porgies, etc. I carried the 
taste with me to the Berkshire Hills, and in a 
sojourn of two years explored all the trout 
streams and pickerel and bass ponds within 
reach of a day's journey from Pittsfield, Massa- 
chusetts. I divided my time for two years 
between Blackstone and my trout-rod, on the 
edge and over the line between wilderness 
and semi-civilization at Keeseville in Clinton 
county, and, when a full-fledged lawyer in 
Salt Point, I had a right to stick out my sign 
as " Atty. at Law," there was quite often 
added at the bottom a temporary postscript, 
"P. S. Gone fishing." 

From time to time I would hear about the 
beauties of the St. Lawrence and its many 
islands in conjunction with its unequalled ex- 
cellence as a hunting ground for ducks, and 
its great abundance of the gamiest fish to be 
found in fresh waters. I had a long-time ac- 
quaintance with a Mr. Dutton, a noted music 
dealer of Utica, who as early as in the later 
forties, was in the habit of spending a portion 
of the year with his sons fishing on the river; 
so finally, in 1852, I proposed to a brother- 
in-law visiting me from Indiana, an excursion 
to Alexandria Bay via Oswego. Accordingly, 
one September morning we landed there from 
the old " Cataract," whose bones have but 



HON. THOMAS G. ALVORD'S FISHING EXPERIENCES. 



45 



very lately disappeared from the waters of the 
lower bay at Clayton, where she had enjoyed 
a rest for many years after she ceased to be 
a floating passenger transport. At that time 
Alexandria Bay was the Mecca of fishermen, 
and Clayton the headquarters of square-tim- 
ber cutting, and no boatman for fisher-folk 
hailed from there until some years thereafter. 
Old man Crossmon kept the only caravansarie 
at Alexandria Bay, and his then small estab- 
lishment on the rocks was hardly ever found 
unable to accommodate all comers. The 
enormous charge of $1.00 per day also in- 
cluded sufficient lunch for the noon-day meal 
of both sportsman and guide, taken " al fresco," 
on some opportune island; the food furnished 
was well prepared, and the more delicate ac- 
cessions, now considered almost necessities, 
were provided under the careful watch of the 
hostess. It was always neat, abundant and 
palatable. 

The boats of that day were but the crude 
prototypes uf the present exquisite ones, which 
have no superiors on the globe in form, finish 
or perfect adaptability, with their well-matched 
oars, center boards, cushioned chairs, and 
other requisites, superior in all respects for 
the uses to which they are put. Then, under 
the command of Commodore Ned Patterson, 
still living and still a guide (octogenarian sure, 
if not centenarian), I embarked on my first 
fishing excursion in a boat made of pine (not 
piano finished), sharp at each end, not more 
than 14 feet long, low-sided, with naked 
wooden boards, without back-rests for seats. 
Loaded down almost invariably on the return 
from a day's fishing with their liuman cargo 
and catch of fish, the gunwales would be peril- 
ously near the level of the water of the river. 
The remembered oarsmen or guides of that 
day were old man Griffin, Ned Patterson, 
Alph and Tom Comstock, the last named 
being my favorite, and after my first visit in- 
variably my guide until some time after Alex- 
andria Bay was abandoned for Clayton as the 
nearer point for the more desirable fishing 
grounds. Not knowing the outfit best adapted 
to the river in the matter of fishing-tackle, and 
being advised that the boatman furnished all 



that was necessary in that regard, we took none 
with us, but used the native tools. These were 
crude in very deed, the poles were home-made; 
the lines were rough and the spoon for trolling 
was literally the bowl of an iron or pewter 
spoon with a single big coarse hook, brazed 
on the lower end, and attached to the line 
without swivel, and did not rotate but simply 
wobbled in the water; live bait for bass was 
not then thought of, but a supply of worms 
accompanied each boat. The Buttons were 
there with their more artistic appliances, con- 
sisting of spoons with swivels, and of various 
colors, and fairly smooth laid-lines and jointed 
bambo rods; but with all their fancy rigs they 
very seldom succeeded in beating our catch 
with the homelier tools. Rev. Dr. Bethune 
was there; he was the donor of the Stone 
Church in the village, in which, much to the 
gratification of tlie natives and visitors, he 
always officiated on Sundays when in town. 
He was a bass fisherman and used a fly as a 
lure. After leaving Utica for New York he 
still occasionally was to be met in the season 
at his favorite resort luring the bass with the 
delusive fly during the week, and tempting 
men and women on Sundays, by his powerful • 
pulpit eloquence, to a better and purer life. 
There and then I first met Seth Green, and 
then commenced a warm friendship which 
ended only with his death. He never failed 
for years to supply me, " unsolicited on my 
part," with an abundance of his own-make of 
flies, both single and in gang, and whenever we 
met he always gave me a learned lecture on 
the progress in piscatorial science and art. 
He was at that time and for many years there- 
after the only fisher dweller on any of the 
beautiful islands of the St. Lawrence Archi- 
pelago, m.aking the now renowned Manhattan 
Island his home where his house may still be 
seen, though remodeled [see frontispiece]. His 
memory will be " Green "in the recollection of 
many to whom his example and teachings have 
imparted a love for a sport and pastime com- 
pelling them to commune with nature where 
dressed in her most enticing garb and to drink 
in the pure air of heaven, bearing to them a 
healthful cure — restoring body and soul to a 



46 



A SOUVENIR OF THE ST. LAWRENCE RIVER. 



perfect health and vigor, and sending one back 
to battle with the world with not only renewed 
and restored bodily strength but with a mind 
attuned to a higher and purer conception of 
duty to themselves and others. 

The recital of the surroundings of my first 
visit to the St. Lawrence would be incomplete 
if I did not dot down my impressions of the 
natural beauties of the scene afforded by the 
river and .its many island gems. I am a 
natural fisherman ; given intensely, whenever 
opportunity permits, to entice and ensnare 
the cunning water dwellers. I have been a 
visitor to the St. Lawrence, with but two 
exceptions, each returning season, for over 
forty years ; and during that period I have 
again and again traversed in its widest extent 
every nook and corner, islet and island, and 
mainland as well, every shoal and deep of the 
St. Lawrence, from Chippewa on the north 
to the deep indentation at the head of Long or 
Wolfe Island, stretching up into Lake Ontario, 
called Reed's Bay. I have never been any 
day upon the water, when my line has not 
been neglected for hours in order to drink in 
the invigorating and health-laden air and the 
wondrous, indescribable beauty and (may I 
say it?) sublimity of diversified island and en- 
circling water. 

I am not going to prolong this screed by a 
recital of my wonderful exploits as a fisher- 
man. I leave that task to time, and, perhaps, 
in the distant future I may be deified as the 
great " American Fisherman," and my re- 
ported deeds almost match with those wonder- 
ful tales rehearsed at camp fire, or where'er 
the jolly fishermen congregate. 

Suffice it to say that I generally captured 
all the fish I was entitled to, but, what was 
far better, I took in annually a load .of health 
which has prolonged my life and made me 
retain the feelings of youth in spite of the in- 



creasing number of years added to my roll- 
call. 

An article on the i,ooo islands of the St. 
Lawrence would be incomplete unless a full 
description of one of their noted features, 
" The Boatman, or Guide," was given. Both 
by an experience and observation of 40 years 
I have carefully noted and studied them, and 
can safely claim for them a deservedly proud 
position; in the main, browned by their con- 
stant exposure and wearing the rough habili- 
ments necessary for their calling, they are, 
with rare exception. Gentlemen in the truest 
acceptation of the word ; accomplished oars- 
men and sailors. Though not learned in 
books, they read the weather more correctly 
than do the trained signal-service men of the 
Government; they are perfect masters in the 
knowledge of the ways of the errant fishes; 
under their care, gentle woman and careless 
child are safe from all harm or danger. They 
are enthusiastic sportsmen, they never strike 
for an eight-hour day, but urge the lazy fish- 
erman to an early breakfast and sunrise-start ; 
and, oftener than their employer, insist upon 
one more circle or cast, so as to add another to 
the well-filled fish box, even if the shades of 
night are deepening around them. In all the 
time I have known the river I have never 
heard of the loss of the life of a fisherman or 
visitor by the carelessness of the Guide. 
Without apparent fatigue, they ply the oar for 
more than twenty miles, to be repeated each 
recurring day. They teach the tyro the gentle 
art, they cook you a noon-day meal the gods 
might envy; never sulking, always anxious to 
do all they can for your comfort and success. 
The Boatman of the 1,000 islands is easily the 
peer of that great army who contribute to the 
innocent enjoyment of others. 

THOMAS G. ALVORD. 

Syracuse, February, 1895. 



THOUSAND ISLAND PARK. 



f^TKlS park seems to have been an out- 
T^ growth of that wave of religious senti- 
ment which swept over the country about 
1874 — the result, perhaps, of the reaction in 
men's minds which usually follows great 
financial depression. Its contemporary de- 
velopments are visible at Asbury Park and 
Ocean Grove, two grand summer resorts upon 
the seaboard of New Jersey, and the latter 
manifestation of the same sentiment at Chau- 
tauqua, in Western New York. All of these 
movements towards summer residences bore a 
distinctly religious character, and were the 
outgrowth of a sincere desire to glorify God, 
and yet, in doing so, to make summer homes 
where families could receive the benefit of 
change of scene and of air and perhaps in 
their manner of living. 

The manifestation of this impulse at Thou- 
sand Island Park is due to the efforts of Rev. 
J. F. Dayan, a well-known Methodist minis- 
ter, now on the retired list. He conceived 
the idea that the Methodist denomination 
would gladly support such a resort, and he 
selected the southwesterly end of Wellsley 
Island as the most eligible spot. The selec- 
tion was judicious, and his efforts were soon 
appreciated. The needed lands were mainly 
purchased (r,ooo acres) from Capt. Throop, 
whose title was only the third remove from 
the State itself. Success crowned the Associa- 
tion's efforts, $22,000 worth of lots having 
been sold in a single day. Men struggled to 
secure the most desirable sites. It was un- 
fortunate for the young town, however, that 
the extreme religious element so far prevailed 
that illy-considered restrictions were imposed 
as to entrance fee, etc., but in time these 



peculiar views have given way to more liberal 
ideas. To this day, however, no steamer is 
allowed to land at their dock on the Sabbath, 
the present management adhering to the 
original plan that the Sabbath should be not 
only a day of rest but of religious observance. 
The Thousand Island Park is now, as it was 
at the beginning, a place where a man can 
leave his wife and children and feel sure that 
they will not be exposed to any harmful influ- 
ence of any nature — a place where " the 
assassins of society " would have no induce- 
ment whatever to come. 

The situation of the park is superior. Back 
from the river-front plateau rises a rocky 
mound, nearly 200 feet in height, which 
afforded a permanent and accessible locality 
for a water reservoir with pressure enough ^o 
flood the- highest buildings. The soil is pro- 
ductive, resting upon the moraine of this 
region, the result of glacial action. The 
second-growth of timber is mainly oak and 
elm, remarkably straight and vigorous, and 
the lot-owners are only called upon to decide 
what tree should be felled, and not what they 
should plant. It is difficult to conceive of a 
finer location. With man's intelligent super- 
vision the place may be made the most de- 
lightful in America. Other resorts have the 
ocean, with its drifting sands, its fogs, its 
storms — this park has the great St. Law- 
rence, whose waters come sweeping down 
from the far Northwest, pure as the melting 
snow can make them, fresh as the breath of 
spring, placid as Nature itself. To live in 
such a spot is a benediction for man ; there 
he forgets his cares, and grows into a life of 
contentment and thankfulness. 



48 



A SOUVENIR OF THE ST. LAWRENCE RIVER. 



At the Thousand Islands there is a percep- 
tible odor of ozone in the atmosphere. By- 
some it is called a " sulphurous," by others a 
fishy smell. But there is a difference. Ozone 
is of itself an energetic chemical agent. It is 
a preservative, not a putrifying influence. In 
this it differs widely from oxygen, the princi- 
ple in the air which assists in decay. There 
seems to be a reason for the belief that the 
beneficial effects produced upon many invalids 
from a residence among the Thousand Islands 



The original trustees were : Chancellor E. 
D. Haven, D. D., President ; Willard Ives, 
Vice-President ; Col. Albert D. Shaw, John 
F. Moffett, J. F. Dayan, E. C Curtis, E. 
Remington, Hon. James Johnson, M. D. 
Kinney. 

Mr. Dayan continued a member of the 
board and as secretary and general manager 
until 1881. , Chancellor Haven resigned in 
1881, having been made one of the Bishops 
of the church at the preceding General Con- 




THK COLUMBIA HOTEL AF THDUSANI) ISLAND F'ARK. 



or upon the sea-shore, is due largely to the 
ozone discernible in those localities. 

The casual reader, like the author of this 
book, may ask to know more about " ozone." 
He has been told that the term is used to 
designate the life-giving principle which per- 
meates the air we breathe. 

The original capital of tlie Association was 
fixed at 1 1 5, 000, of which $7,100 was paid in 
cash. On January nth, 1876, the indebted- 
ness of the Association was $24,647.81 and 
the assets $57,300.94. The capital was after- 
wards increased to $150,000. 



ference. He was succeeded by Rev. 1. S. 
Bingham, D. D., who, in 1883, gave place 
to Rev. M. D. Kinney, A. M., who had been 
a member of the board of trustees from the 
first. Under his energetic management many 
improvements were perfected, and there came 
a period of decided growth. He continued 
as President for seven years, and the Park 
owes much to his management, and to the 
fact that he has been of financial aid at many 
times. 

The present trustees are : George P. Folts, 
President ; George C Sawyer, Vice-Presi- 



THOUSAND ISLAND PARK. 



49 



dent; Dr. A. W. Goodale, 2d Vice-President 
and Secretary; W. R. Fitch, Treasurer. Trus- 
tees: George P. Foltz, F. G. Weeks, George 
C. Sawyer, W. R. Fitch, Walter Brown, Dr. 

A. W. Goodale, James P. Lewis, A. Gurnee, 

B. M. Britten; Jas. Smith, Superintendent. 



celebrated preachers in the United States and 
Canada, and the reputation of the Park in 
this respect has been admirably sustained. 
Rev. Dr. J. E. C. Sawyer, editor of the 
Northern Christian Advocate, delivered two 
sermons there on July 22, 1894, that were the 




THE LATE CHARLES CROSSMON, 
The First Summer Hotel-keeper upon the St. Lawrence. 



The reader will recognize among these the 
names of prominent and influential citizens. 

From the very first the design of the Asso- 
ciation has been to secure the best native 
talent for religious services, and also bringing 
from abroad men of established reputation 
and ability. In this way the noble Taber- 
nacle has had under its roof some of the most 



most finished and stirring the writer has ever 
listened to. The influences that have gone 
out from that Tabernacle have been pecu- 
liarly inspiring and noble, and its services 
have done much to popularize the Park. The 
auditorium has a natural slope, the acoustics 
are admirable, and the sight most unique and 
interesting when the vast place is filled with 



so 



A SOUVENIR OF THE ST. LAWRENCE RIVER. 



the sea of upturned faces confronting the 
speaker. Situated in a fine growth of oak, 
with great curtains at the sides, which can be 
raised or lowered as desired, the people are 
brought face to face with nature, whence they 
are inspired to look up to nature's God. 

It should not be forgotten that the Park as 
well as the Islands partake of an international 
character to a great extent, and the Union 
Jack floats in close proximity to our own be- 
loved Stars and Stripes, and that prayers 
ascend for the noble Queen from the same 
desk as the petition for our honored Presi- 
dent. 

The population of Thousand Island Park is 
somewhat of a floating one, as regards its per- 
manence, but there can be no doubt as to its 
pre-eminent respectability. It numbers 800 
to 6,000 souls. Indeed the only occasion for 
fear in these established popular resorts is 
that they may become exclusively the sum- 
mer abodes of the rich alone. At this placi , 
however, there are ample accommodations 
for people of every class in point of material 
wealth, the hotel charges being $3.00 per day 
for the best, $1.00 per day for a cheaper but 
really comfortable place, and board in private 
cottages at even less rates. It is pre-emin- 
ently a democratic place, and friendliness is 
cultivated as not an altogether obsolete senti- 
ment. The trustees and officers are capable 
men, composed of persons who have made their 
way from small beginnings and have always 
been in sympathy with plain and home-like 
methods. The cottages are numerous, all of 
them attractive, some beautiful. We give 
views of a few of the plain cottages as well as 
of some of the more elegant structures. A 
traveler upon any of the steamers which 
thread their way among the islands will ob- 
serve that more people get on and off at 
Thousand Island Park than all the other 
resorts put together. The plotted ground for 
cottages occupies about 100 acres. The 
Association has sold off 200 acres for farming, 
and about 700 acres are left, devoted to 
dairying. 

The pumping engines of the Association, 
their system of sewerage, vi'ater supply and 



electric lights are superior and unexcelled. 
Their dynamo plant and the beautiful ma- 
chinery there (of the Watertown Steam En- 
gine Company) are models of mechanical skill. 
It would be, perhaps, an indication of neg- 
ligence were we to fail in giving especial 
notice to the very large and wholly first-class 
hotel erected by the Association to take the 
place of the building destroyed by ftre several 
years since. The new hotel is in the shape 
of a Greek cross, enabling every room in the 
house to have an outward look, the larger 
part facing the noble river. The rooms are 
all en suite, enabling them to be used singly or 
double; the ceilings are high; the furniture 
in keeping with the buildmg. The closets 
and bath-rooms are of modern construction 
and appointment ; the lights all electric — not 
a lamp being used in the whole building. 
The reception room and office, as well as the 
large ladies' parlor, and the commodious 
dining-room have each the patent steel ceil- 
ings admitting of fine effects in fresco and 
painting, as well as immunity from fire- 
Taking into consideration its size, the out- 
ward view from every room, the purity of the 
water used, the separation of the kitchen from 
the hotel proper, the perfect system of sew- 
age, and the desirability of location, it may be 
said that the Columbian is the finest hotel 
upon the St. Lawrence above Montreal To 
this may be added its almost perfect safety 
from accident by fire. 

The trustees felt that they were to a certain 
extent building for the future by authorizing 
so extensive a structure, but as the Park in- 
creases in importance every year, it is plainly 
seen that they acted wisely in erecting an 
hotel that would add to the character of the 
Park, where so many city people crowd during 
the heat of summer, and demand the best of 
everything. 

There are other hotels and boarding places 
at the Park, but not owned by the Association. 
Mr. Billings, on Garden avenue, has five neat 
cottages where he accommodates very many- 
people each summer, and his customers 
usually come again, for he is a very pleasant 
gentleman 



THE RED CROSS. 



51 



AN INTERNATIONAL PARK. 



/^ HE popular scheme of establishing an in- 
T^ ternational park, embracing the Thous- 
and islands of the St. Lawrence river, which 
was discussed at length last year by American 
and Canadian authorities, seems almost cer- 
tain of early fulfillment. A meeting was held 
at Ottawa in February, 1896, to promote the 
enterprise, and both the American and Cana- 
dian representatives present manifested much 
enthusiasm. The committee of Americans 
appointed to confer with the Canadian au- 
thorities, consisted of Hon Elon R. Brown of 
Watertown, chairman ; Henry R, Heath of 
Brooklyn, and R. D. Grant of Clayton. They 
were met at Ottawa, by Hon George Taylor, 
M. P., for Canada ; Hon. John Costigan, 
minister of marine and fisheries; Hon. Hor- 
ton Reed, minister of Indian affairs; and Sir 
Charles Tupper, acting minister of the in- 
terior. The conference was held in Mr. 
Costigan's office. 

As a result of this conference an agreement 
was made to make the opening and closure 
laws of both countries uniform, the closed 
season to extend from January i, to June 9. 
Netting is to be totally prohibited on both 
sides of the river. The policing of the river 
is to be in uniform, the guards of both sides 
co-operating in all waters of the river. 



The territory covered by the agreement ex- 
tends from Ogdensburg on the American side 
and Prescott, on the Canadian side, to points 
four miles above Cape Vincent and Kingston. 
The Canadian government is to set aside cer- 
tain islands for public parks, where those who 
do not own property on the river can pitch 
their camps. Similar parks are expected to 
be established on the American side. 

The government of this great international 
park is to be vested in an international com- 
mission and is to be carried on after the plan 
adopted for the international park at Niagara 
Falls. The commissioners named on the 
part of New York State are Elon R. Brown, 
Henry R. Heath and President Mead, of the 
forest commission. 

The thousands of people who annually find 
recreation and pleasure at the great watering 
places on the St. Lawrence will heartily ap- 
prove of this plan to preserve for the whole 
people the beauties of the river. It is a plan 
that has been contemplated and one that will 
benefit those whose homes are in the St. 
Lawrence region even more than summer 
visitors, for the food fishes will be protected 
from wholesale slaughter and eventual extermi- 
nation, and thus all classes of our people will 
be benefited. 



THE RED CROSS. 



fcjjESIDENTS and voyageurs upon the St. 
rK. Lawrence, when nearly opposite Alex- 
andria Bay, have noticed upon the western 
bank of the river, above the fine residence of 
Mr. Browning and just adjoining the summer 
residence of Rev. Mr. Pullman (whose son is 
Miss Barton's financial and active secretary), 
a red cross emblazoned upon a white flag. 
That has been for two seasons past the sum- 
mer home of Miss Clara Barton, the President 
of what is known as the Red Cross in America. 
We have been permitted to make extracts 
from an address made by Miss Barton in 1888, 



and by her delineation the reader will be able 
to get a fair idea of the Red Cross organiza- 
tion. For a fair representation of this won- 
derful woman we refer the reader to her por- 
trait given in connection with a sketch of her 
life in another place in this volume. [See 
page 230.] 

We give, in brief, much that she said at 
Washington before the International Council 
of Women in 1888. 

The organization of the Red Cross is the result of 
an international treaty known among nations as the 
" Treaty of Geneva," and has for its object the 



A SOUVENIR OF THE ST. LAWRENCE RIVER. 



amelioration of the conditions of that class of per- 
sons who, in accordance with the customs of man- 
kind from the earliest history to the present, have 
been called to maintain the boundaries of nations, 
and even national existence itself, by human warfare. 

Whether well or ill, needful or needless, that na- 
tions and boundaries be so preserved, is not a ques- 
tion for me here to consider. That they have been, 
and mainly are so preserved, that no better method 
is yet consummated, and that, in the progress of 
humanity, the existing countries of the civilized 
world have seen fit to enter into an international 
treaty for the betterment of the conditions of those 
subjects or citizens, who, by their laws, are called to 
the performance of this duty, are facts which I am 
here to stat-. This international treat}' of 1864 com- 
mences with the neutralizing of all parties in their 
efforts at relief. It brings to the aid of the medical 
and hospital departments of armies the direct, or- 
ganized and protected help of the people. It goes 
through the entire catagory of military medical 
regime, as practiced up to its date; makes war upon 
and plucks out its old-time barbarities, its needless 
restrictions and cruelties, and, finally, in effiect, ends 
bj' teaching war to make war upon itself. 

By its international code all military hospitals un- 
der its flag become neutral, and can be neither at- 
tacked nor captured. All sick and wounded within 
them remain unmolested. Surgeons, nurses, chap- 
lains, attendants and all non-combatants on a field, 
wearing the accredited insignia of the Red Cross, 
are protected from capture. Badly wounded 
prisoners lying upon a captured field are delivered 
up to their own army if desired. All supplies de- 
signed for the use of the sick or wounded of either 
arm}', and bearing the sign of the Red Cross, are 
protected and held sacred to their use. All convoys 
of wounded or prisoners in exchange are safely pro- 
tected in transit and, if attacked from ambush or 
otherwise harmed, an international trcatj' is broken. 
All persons residing in the vicinity of a battle about 
to take place shall be notified by the generals com- 
manding both armies, and full protection, with a 
guard, assured each house which shall open its doors 
to the care of the wounded from either army; thus 
each house becomes a furnished field-hospital and 
its inmates nurses. 

Each nation, upon its accession to the treaty, 
establishes a national society, or committee, through 
whicli it will act internationally in its various re- 
lations. 

This body corporate adopts a constitution, in the 
formation of which it seeks the best methods for 
serving humanity in general, together with the in- 
terests of its own people, in the direction of its legi- 
timate efTorts. 

The formers of the National Constitution of the 
Red Cross of America foresaw that the great woes 



of its people would not be confined to human war- 
fare; that the elements raging, unchained, would 
wage us wars and face us in battles; that as out vai-t 
territory became populated, and people, in the place 
of prairies and forests, should lie in their track, 
these natural agents might prove scarcely less de- 
structive and more relentless than human enemies; 
that fire, flood, famine, pestilence, drouth, earth- 
quake and tornado would call for the prompt help 
of the people no less than war, and while organizing 
for the latter they also included the former. 

It remains to name some of the things accom- 
plished and the changes which have taken place in 
consequence of this treaty during its life of a short 
quarter of a century, and up to 1888. 

Previous to the war of the Crimea civil help for 
tnilitary necessities was unknown. Florence Night- 
ingale trod a pathless field. In the wars which fol- 
lowed, till 1866, even this example was not heeded, 
and the wars of Napoleon III. in Northern Italy 
were types of militar)' cruelty, medical in'-ufficiency, 
and needless suffering which shocked the world. 
Out of the smouldering ashes of these memories 
rose the clear, st' ady flame of the Red Cross; so 
bright and beautiful that it drew the gaze of all man- 
kmd; so broad that it reached the farthest bound of 
the horizon: so peaceful, wise, harmless and frater- 
nal that all nations and sects, the Christian. and the 
Jew, the Protestant and the Catholic, the soldier and 
the philanthropist, the war-maker and the peace- 
maker, could me^t in its softened rays, and, by its 
calm, holy light, reveal to each other their difficul- 
ties, compare their views, stud}' methods of human- 
ity, and, from time to time, learn frmn and teach to 
each other, things better than they had known. 

Our own terrible w.ir which freed 4.000,000 slaves 
and gave to us the " Baltic Hymn of the Republic" 
had no ray of this fraternal liuht. We "read the 
righteous sentence by dim an 1 flaring lamps," and 
in darkness and inhumanity, sorrow and doubt " our 
souls went marching on." 

But the great Commissions rose and perfo med a 
work of relief hitherto unknown, yet from lack of 
military recognition their best efforts comparatively 
failed ; and from lack of permanent organization 
their future possibilities were lost to the world. 

With the Franco German war of 'yo-'yi com- 
menced the opportunities for the practical applica- 
tion of the principles of the treaty. Both nations 
were in compact. There was perfect accord be- 
tween the military and the Red Cross Relief. There 
was neither medical nor hospital work save through 
and under the treaty of Geneva. The Red Cross 
brassard flashed on the arm of every agent of relief, 
from the medical director at the headquarters of the 
king to the little b^y carrying water to his wounded 
lieutenant ; from the noble Empress Augusta and 
her court, and poor Eugenie, while she had one, to 



THE RED CROSS. 



53 



the patient, tired nurse in the lowliest hospital or 
tent by the wayside. 

No record of needless inhumanity or cruelty to 
wounded or sick, stains the annals of that war. 

I walked its hospitals day and night. I served in 
its camps, and I marched with its men, and I know 
whereof I speak. The German, the Frenchman, 
the Italian, the Arab, the Turko, and the Zouave 
were gathered tenderly alike, and lay side by side in 
the Red Cross palace hospitals of Germany. The 
royal women, who to-day mourn their own dead, 
mourned then the dead of friend and foe. 

Since that day no war between nations within the 
treaty has taken place in which the Red Cross did 
not stand at its post, at the field, and the generous 
gifts of neutral nations have filled its hands. 

The treaty has brought the war-making powers to 
know each other. Four times it has called the 
heads of thirty to forty nations to meet through 
appointed delegates, and confer upon national neu- 
trality and relief in war. It has created and estab- 
lished one common sign for all military medical 
relief the world over, and made all under that sign 
safe and sacred. It has established one military- 
hospital flag for all nations. It has given to the peo- 
ple the recognized right to reach and succor their 
wounded on the field. It has rendered impossible 
any insufficienc}' of supplies, either medical or 
nutritive, for wounded or prisoners which human 
sympathy and power can reach. It has given the 
best inventions known to science for the proper 
handling of mutilated persons, whether soldiers or 
civilians. The most approved portable hospitals in 
the world are of the Red Cross. It has frowned 
upon all old time modes of cruelty in destructive 
warfare; poisoned and explosive bullets are no 
longer popular. Antiseptic dressings and electric 
light at battlefields are established facts, and the am- 
bulance and stretcher-bearers move in the rear ranks 
of every army. These isolated facts are onXy the 
mountain peaks which I point out to 5-ou. The 
great Alpine range of humanity and activity below 
can not be shown in fifteen minutes. 

So much for human warfare and the legitimate dis- 
pensation of the treaty. 

The public, in general, to a large extent is com- 
ing to the use of the Red Cross as a medium of 
conveyance and disiribution for its contributions. 
The National Association, with its headquarters at 
Washington, has a field-agent, who visits, in person, 
every scene where aid is rendered. Commencing 
with the "forest fires" of Michigan in 1881, there 
has fallen to its hands a share of the relief-work in 
the overflow of the Mississippi river in 1882; of the 
Ohio in 1883; of the Mississippi cj'clone the same 
year ; the overflow of both the Ohio and Mississippi 
in 1884; the representation of the United States 
Government at the International Conference of 



Geneva, Switzerland, in 1S84 ; the exhibition of 
"woman's work " in the Red Cross, both foreign 
and American, at the Exposition at New Orleans in 
1885; the drouth in Texas in i386; the Charleston 
earthquake in 1S86; the representation of the United 
States Government again at the court of their Royal 
Highness, the Grand Duke and Duchess of Baden, 
at Carlsruhe, Germany, in 1887, and the relief of the 
sufferers from theMt. Vernon cyclone, 18S8.* 

In further explanation we may say that the 
Red Cross was chosen out of compliment to 
the Swiss Republic, where the first convention 
was held, and in which the Central Commis- 
sion has its headquarters. The Swiss colors 
being a white cross on a red ground, the badge 
chosen was these colors reversed. There are 
no " members of the Red Cross," but only 
members of societies whose sign it is. There 
is no "Order of the Red Cross." The relief 
societies use, each according to its conven- 
ience, whatever inethods seem best suited to 
prepare in times of peace for the necessities 
of sanitary service in times of war. They 
gather and store gifts of inoney and supplies, 
arrange hospitals, ambulances, methods of 
transportation of wounded men, bureaus of 
information, correspondence, etc. All that 
the most ingenious philanthropy could devise 
and execute has been attempted in this direc- 
tion. This society had its inception in the 
mind of Monsieur Henri Dunant, a Swiss 
gentleman, who was ably seconded in his 
views by Monsieur Gustave Moynier and Dr. 
Louis Appia, of Geneva. 

The movements of Miss Barton, since her 
efforts to benefit the Armenians, has been fol- 

* The last five years have added to the relief and 
labors of the above list. The yellow fever epidemic 
of Florida in 18S8; the Johnstown disaster in 1889; 
the Russian famine in i8gr-g2; the Fifth Inter- 
national Conference at Rome, 1892, and the hurri- 
cane and tidal wave of the South Carolina sea-island 
coast of 1893-94. 

In the overflow of the rivers in 1884 the Govern- 
ment appropriated $150,000 for distribution through 
the war department and magnificently and faithfully 
was that distribution made ; an honor to any nation. 

The Red Cross, with no appropriation and no 
treasury, received from the public, and personally 
distributed in the space of four months, money and 
material at the moderately estimated value of $r75,- 
000 ; an honor to any people. 



54 



A SOUVENIR OF THE ST. LAWRENCE RIVER. 



lowed by the whole civilized world with the 
most eager interest. The annexed news- 
paper extract will be read with genuine satis- 
faction: 

PERMISSION GRANTED 

Miss Clara Barton and Her Assistants Will 
BE Allowed to Distribute Relief to the 
Suffering Armenians. 

Washington, Feb. i8, 1896. — A dispatch received 
at the State Departmeut this afternoon from Mr. 
Alex. W. Terrell, United States Minister to Turkey, 
dated at Pera, the European quarter of Constanti- 
nople, contained the intelligence that the efforts of 



Miss Clara Barton, president of the American 
National Red Cross socict}', to obtain the permission 
of the Turkish government to distribute relief to the 
suffering Armenians has been successful. The de- 
cision of the Sublime Porte not to allow relief 
measures to be extended by the Red Cross as an or- 
ganization, or by its officers as such, made it doubt- 
ful whether Miss Barton and her party would sue. 
ceed in their object. It appears from Mr. Terrell's 
dispatch that Miss Barton had been presented by 
the minister to the Porte, and had received renewed 
assurance of full protection, and aid for her agents 
in dispensing charit}'. Her assistants, says Mr. 
Terrell, go at once to the interior. Miss Barton's 
headquarters will be at Pera. 



CAPTAIN SIMON 

It is fortunate for the historian of the St. 
Lawrence Archipelago that there are yet a 
few men living who have been connected 
with that section from the time long before 
any attempt was made to improve it. One of 
the best known, most intelligent and compan- 
ionable of these is Capt. Simon Johnston. 
We have importuned him until he has been 
prevailed upon to prepare a sketch of his life, 
which has been a long and active one, as he 
was born in 1821, being two years older than 
the author of this book. We think it best to 
tell his story as 'twas told to us. (For his 
portrait see plates of vessel captains.) 

■When a boy of nine j'ears, in the year 1830, I left 
Ogdensburg, with my mother, for Sacket's Harbor. 
In those days steamboats were slow and the fares 
high, so my mother, with her four children, took 
passage on a vessel called the " Phoenix." Such sail- 
ing vessels or " packets," as they were then called, 
were fitted up with accommodations for passengers. 
We left with a fair wind, and all went well till we 
reached Gravelly Point, now Cape Vincent, when 
we were headed off, the wind coming down the Lake. 
The captain up helm and ran back to Hinckley's 
Flats, where we came to anchor. During the storm 
the vessel dragged anchor and went ashore on the 
head of Carlton Island. The mate got a long plank 
to reach the shore, and we all landed. Here we had 
to staj' about three weeks before getting off. but 
finally reached Sacket's Harbor all right. At this 
time both banks of the St. Lawrence river were in a 
slate of utter wilderness, with scarcely an inhabi- 
tant. 

My father ran the first saw mill, one now built at 



G. JOHNSTON. 

Sacket's Harbor, on-ned by Col. Elisha Camp. This 
was about the time the colonel got a canal through 
from Black River. Here were also built two saw 
mills, one grist mill, one paper mill, one plaster 
mill, and a furnace. But the canal, not paying, was 
eventually abandoned. 

One would laugh now at such steamboats as they 
had then, especially at the boilers and engines 
They burned wood for fuel, and when they came 
into port, instead of closing a damper as they now 
do, the half-burned wood was pulled out of the fiie 
chamber and thrown overboard, to keep down steam. 
Then when they were ready to leave port a fresh fiie 
was built. A boat like this, afterwards used on tl e 
river, was built at Brownville, N. Y., and passed 
through a lock at Fish Island (now DexterJ. She 
was burned to the water's edge the first trip ; was 
bought b)' Daniel Griffin of Sacket's Harbor, haulid 
out, lengthened and rebuilt, and called the " William 
Avery." I was on board on her trial trip to Hen- 
derson Harbor, which was in 1S34 or '35. The 
steamer "Charles Carroll" was built at Sacket's 
Harbor about this tiine. 

In 1839 I went to Kingston, Ontario, and shipped 
as horse-boy on the schooner " Brittania," Capt. 
Alex. Muer, in Calvin, Cook & Counter's employ at 
Garden Island, Ontario. In 1840 I was deck hand 
on the steamer " Telegraph." She ran between Og- 
densburg and Oswego. At this time there were no 
lighthouses between Ogdensburg and Cape Vincent. 
They ran day and night, by ranges from point to 
point or from island to island. 

In 1S41 I was made wheelsman on the " Tele- 
graph." under Capt. Geo. Mason, and we ran be- 
tween Ogdensburg and Oswego, stopping at Morris 
town, Brockville, Alexandria Bay, French Creek 
(now Clayton), Kingston, and Sacket's Harbor. 
Kingston was the only market for surplus hogs, 



CAPTAIN SIMON G. JOHNSTON. 



55 



sheep, cattle, fish, butter, etc. Sometimes we would 
have a full load ol sheep and calves, and the Kanucks 
would say, "There comes the Yankee Band," when 
they heard the calves bleat. 

In 1842 I went with the late Capt. Thos. Collins 
to learn ship-building. He built vessels in the win- 
ter and sailed them in the summer. He built the 
first propeller that ran the rapids. She was named 
the " Precursor," and was launched in 1842. He 
sailea her in 1843, and that year I was with him as 
j mate. Our run was between Montreal and Toronto. 
j We went down the St. Lawrence through all the 
rapids to Montreal. There was no canal then except 
the Lachine. We came up through that, then up 
the Ottawa and Rideau to Kingston, then up Lake 
Ontario to Toronto. We made nine trips that season, 
running all the rapids, and had some close shaves to 
' clear rock and shoal. The first thing the Indian 
pilot would do, just before entering the rapids, 
would be to drop on his knees, say his prayers, 
count his beads, cross himself, and then take the 
tiller, while he kept his eyes peeled for the breakers. 
Just as soon as we were through them he would dive 
for the cabin for something to eat. What a change 
,from these days to what it was then. (See article on 
"How the Indians Learned the Rapids.") 

In 1844 I was at Rice Lake, Ontario, building a 
small vessel to run on that lake. In 1845 was at 
Portsmouth, Ontario, working on the first vessel 
that went to England via the St. Lawrence river. 
She was called "The Lilj'," and was about 400 tons. 
In 1846 I built the schooner Odd Fellow and sailed 
her as master, trading between Picton and Jones 
Creek, Ontario. 

From 1848 to 1850 I was in the employ of Calvin 
& Breck, at Garden Island. I sailed the schooner 
" Dexter Calvin " for them in 1850. Made one trip 
with her to Quebec in the fall, running all the rapids 
except the Lachine. We were in tow of a tug, and 
the strain on the hawser at times, when in the rap- 
ids, would make one's eyes stick out, for it seemed 
that we m,ight strike some island or rock any mo- 
ment while running them. 

I left Garden Island in January for Hamilton, On- 
tario, to put timber ports in a vessel named " British 
Queen," for Jno. McPherson of the firm of McPher- 
son. Cram c& Co., of Kingston. 

In April, 1851, I went to Erie, Pa., to put timber 
ports in a vessel called the " Baltic." From there I 
went back to Garden Island and built the yacht 
"Janet ; " this boat 40 feet keel, 12 feet beam, and 6 
feet in the hold. She had about seven tons of bal- 
last in her. She left Kingston with a party of 45 
men and women on board, bound for Clayton ; they 
stopped at the foot of Wolf Island and had dinner, 
then started for Clayton; but when they got over into 
the American channel a %vhite squall struck the 
yacht, which knocked her on her beam's end, filled 



the cock-pit with water, and threw most of the wo- 
men into the mainsail — Capt. Hiram Hitchcock w;<s 
master, and he called out to " let go the jib sheet, ' 
but some one let go the main sheet instead. This kt 
the main boom drag, and kept her on her side. As 
the cock-pit was water-tight, they thought she would 
right up as soon as the squall was over ; but son e 
one had previously taken out the valve to pump hi r 
out, and had neglected to put it back ; so she filled 
slowly and sunk in 40 feet of water. There weie 
19 drowned, 17 women and two men, all from King- 
ston. Many of them I knew. 

Some thought that the 3'acht was to blame because 
improperly built, but they changed their minds, 
when they afterwards saw her working up the river in 
a gale of wind. She went from Clayton to Kings- 
ton, when it blew so hard that the "Ontario," Capt. 
Throop, would not land there. 

When this happened I was building a steamboat at 
Keene, Ont., for Short, Kemp & Co., to run from 
Petersboro to Creek's Rapids, through Rice Lake. 
She was called the " Otonobe," 

In February, 1S52, I came to Clayton to work as 
foreman for Jno. Oades. He was doing all Fowler 
& Esselst) n's work. He built for them the steamers 
"Niagara," "Cataract," "Ontario," "British Queen," 
"British Empire," " Bay State" and " New York." 
He also built quite a number of sailing vessels. I 
was with him two years, and then started business 
for myself in Clayton. I first built the "Gray 
Hound," and sailed her in 1854, running between 
Ogdensburg and Oswego. She was a fast sailer, 
making a round trip a week, for eleven weeks, and 
bringing us home ever)' Sunday. I learned more of 
the navigation of the river in this vessel than I did 
in all others. 

The 7th of September, 1854, I was married to 
Emmeline H. Oades, youngest sister of John Oades, 
she being twenty-four and I thirty-one 3'ears old. 
On the nth of September, or four days later, I left 
for Colburn, Ont., to build two vessels for J. M. 
Grover, one of which was called "Mary Grover," and 
the other "Alice Grover." I built these two in.one 
year, coming back to Clayton in the fall of 1855, and 
that winter built the "Eagle Wing" for John Oades 
and myself. Oades, at that time, was building for 
Messrs. Merick & Co. I was master of the " Eagle 
Wing" in 1S56, sold her in 1857, and built the 
schooner "Watchful." Sailed her in 1858, and in 
1859 went to Dresden and built a steamboat to run 
on Seneca Lake. There I was taken sick and came 
home, where I was laid up for two years. In i86r I 
sold the " Watchful" and built the "Mediator." In 
1S62 sold one-half of her to A. F. Barker and John 
Johnston, of Clayton. In 1863 I sold her out and 
built the " Senator" and "Snow-Bird." Sold them 
both in 1864, and built the "Brooklyn," which I char- 
tered to Merick, Fowler & Esselstyne, to carry tim- 



56 



A SOUVENIR OF THE ST. LAWRENCE RIVER. 



ber for two years at $ioo (in gold) per 1,000 per 
cubic feet. She unloaded at one time when gold 
was $2.80. 

In 1865 Mr. Oades went to Detroit to build for 
Campbell, Owen & Co., Mr. M. F. Merick being the 
company. They wanted a man to take Mr.Oades' place 
at Clayton and sent for me. I have never forgotten 
what Mr. Merick said to me. First he inquired if I 
"had tools to build a vessel," to which I replied 
"yes ;" second, "can you build a good one?" I said 
"yes, you know, Mr. Merick, what kind I have been 
building, and I had to pick up my timber through 
the country, and when you have all the timber of 
the best kind delivered to you, one ought to build 
second to none." He then asked what wages I 
wanted, and I said three dollars a day. He said, 
"We don't want you by the day, we want you by the 
year." I then told him we might not suit each other, 
and if I was hired by the day he could let me go at 
any time. He said, " Name your price for a year — 
you will do." Mr. Henry Esselslyn being present, I 
told them that if I took charge of the ship-yard, I 
wished to hire all the men, set the wages for each 
and discharge any one who did not do his duty — the 
men to be paid every Saturday night. This would 
throw the responsibility on me, and when I failed to 
do what was right to discharge me. "Very well," 
said Mr. Merick. I then said $1,000 a year. He 
asked when I could commence, and I said "to- 
morrow." "Very well," he said, "I think we will 
have no trouble; but we have always had the best of 
vessels and don't want any others. Full canal size 
vessels and of the best stock is what we want." I 
never worked for a company that I liked as well as 
Merick, Fowler & Esselstyn. I built for them the 
"Montpelier," "Montcalm," "Mont Blanc," "Mont- 
gomery," " Montmorenci " and others, besides re- 
building several. 

The second year they raised my salary to $i,5ooand 
offered me $2,500 to go to Detroit to work for them 
there. But with my home in Clayton, and wife and 



children with good friends and neighbors, I de- 
cided not to go. They then wished me to buy the 
ship yard, which I did. This was in 1867, and I did 
their work until 1S70, when they took their fleet of 
some 20 vessels to Detroit. 

Since then I built the " Hoboken," in 1868, for .\. 
F. Barker; the " L. B. Stone" for G. M. Read, 
Sacket's Harbor, and the " Scud " for Mr. Rogers of 
Rochester. 

In 1869, built the schooner " Irene"; in 1870, tiie 
sloop " Dashing Wave"; in 1871, the schooner " Wm. 
Home"; in 1872, the " Hattie L. Johnson," and in 
1874, the steamer " T. S. Faxton," for A. F. Barker, 
Capt. Holt and myself. In 1877, I built the steamer 
" Island Belle." Mr. T. H. Camp, of Watertown, 
N. Y., wanted me to build this boat to run in con- 
nection with the R. W. & O. R. R., from Cape Vin- 
cent to Alexandria Bay. She was a good one and a 
favorite on the river. 

I built the steamer " S. H. Johnson," for James 
Johnson, of Clayton. Also the " Henry Folger " for 
the Folgers, of Kingston, and myself. I built the 
"Black Diamond," and many yachts, both sail and 
steam. 

In 18S4, I built the steamer " St. Lawrence." for 
Folger Bros., Kingston, Ont. She was built and 
launched at Clayton, May 24, 1884, Etnd finished at 
Kingston. In August, 1886, I built the steam yacht 
"Sirius," for Capt. Henry S. Johnston. She was a 
fast boat and is now owned at Alexandria Bay. 

In i8go, I built the steamer " Nightingale," for my- 
self, to run on the Clayton and Fine View route. 
She has admirably filled the bill and by good manage- 
ment and prompt service has come to be a general 
favorite among the cottagers and Islanders on all the 
Parks, as well as the general travelling public. 

In 1894, I built the steamer " Island Belle," (No. 2) 
for the Alexandria Bay Steamboat Co.. She is a 
day boat running between Clayton and Ogdensburg^ 
and has done admirable service. 



CAPT. ALDRIDGE KENDALL, 



Now in command of the steamer " Islander," 
is one of the best known and most popular 
navigators of the St. Lawrence river For 
thirty-two years of his life he has been a sailor 
on Lakes Ontario, Erie, Huron and Michigan, 
and the rivers connecting that great chain of 
lakes from Chicago to Ogdensburg. 

By keen observation, and close attention to 
duty, he soon acquired a thorough knowledge 



of navigation ; and at the age of twenty-two 
years he had distinguished himself sufficiently 
to become the efficient commander of the con - 
modious passenger steamer "T. S. Faxton." 

For twenty-one years he has been a com- 
mander of vessels and during that time has 
had under his control some of the finest steam- 
ers on the river. 

For twelve years he has ran a steamer in 



CHAS. H. KENDALL. 



57 



connection with the R. W. & O. R. R. sys- 
tem, and during that time has only failed in 
connecting wiih two trains. Good judgment 
is always exercised by him, proven by the 
facts that he has never lost a passenger or 
one of his crew, and has never been in col- 
lision with another craft, and the total damage 
to the boats he has commanded for twenty- 
one years would not amount to $200. There 
are few commanders who can show so clean a 
record as this. This good fortune is the re- 
sult of constant vigilance and scrupulous re- 
gard for the safety of passengers and valuable 



property intrusted to his care. In addition to 
Capt. Kendall's ability as commander, he is an 
experienced river pilot, and has located chan- 
nels and buoys at many difficult places on the 
river. Like many others of Clayton's vessel 
masters he began at the bottom. He was 
born in the town of Orleans, 1851, and came 
to Clayton when an infant, grev.- up like other 
boys of that time, attending school winters 
and working summers. 

He is universally regarded as a " lucky man," 
but this is accounted for by his superior judg- 
ment and watchfulness. 



CAPT. ELI KENDALL, 



Whose strong and handsome face is shown 
among the collection of river men, was born 
in Clayton, and that town has always been his 
home. He received the benefits of the com- 
mon schools in that town until the age of four- 
teen years, when he decided to become a 
sailor, and sixteen years of experience as such 
was passed on the "great lakes," Ontario, 
Erie, Huron, Michigan and Superior. He has 
passed through many dangers, being twice 
wrecked. November 8, 1878, he was a sailor 
on the ill-fated schooner "Monteray," lost on 
Sturgeon Point, Lake Huron; . also on the 
schooner "Prince Alfred," lost in Georgian 
Bay, Lake Huron. From i860 to- 1876 he 
followed the St. Lawrence and lakes, and from 



1876 to 1896 has been in different steamers 
on the river. During those years he has com- 
manded the best river boats, and his vigilance 
and untiring industry have brought him 
through without mishap. He is considered 
one of the best pilots between Ogdensburg 
and Chicago. Captain "Eli," as he is fami- 
liarly called, has an unusually pleasant and 
agreeable character — courteous, and conse- 
quently popular. He is no exception to the 
Folger Bros.' officers, who have the reputation 
of being the ablest navigators on the river, 
and the millions their boats have carried with- 
out losing a man is the best evidence that this 
reputation is deserved, as well as affording a 
hopeful promise for the future. 



CHAS. H. KENDALL, 



Commander of the steamer Jessie Bain, in 
childhood manifested a love for navigation. 
His experience began when a mere boy and 
covers nearly twenty years. He has a knowl- 
edge of the St. Lawrence river and Lake 
Ontario unrivalled by no other commander of 
the river crafts. His courage is dauntless, 
and his self-command unequalled in danger. 



He was born in Clayton in 1863, and since 
twenty years of age has commanded sail or 
steam crafts. His career as a commander 
has been brilliant, unmarred by serious acci- 
dents. By his cheerful altentiveness to busi- 
ness and pleasant demeanor he has acquired 
the title of " Genial Captain Charlie," a desig- 
nation well deserved. 



58 



A SOUVENIR OF THE ST. LAWRENCE RIVER. 



SOME OLDER CAPTAINS. 



Travellers who were upon the river forty 
to fifty years ago will not forget to recall the 
large American boats then running upon its 
waters; and the names of the men who com- 
manded these vessels will rise up in memory. 
Captain Throop, Captain Chapman, Captain 
Ledyard, Captain Estes and others but dimly 
remembered, have all passed away. They 



were an extraordinarily able body of men — 
probably not more so than those now upon 
the river, but the steamers they commanded 
were much larger than the Folger boats, if we 
except the Empire State. Peace be to the 
souls of those old-time commanders. They 
are not forgotten. 



SAMUEL B. GRENNELL. 



It would be difficult to find a face more 
familiar to the thousands who visit the islands, 
or one of more interest than is the dignified 
representation of Samuel B. Grennell. He was 
born in Adams, Jefferson county, N. Y., Nov. 
lo, 1818. His ancestors were among the 
earliest settlers of the country, and they fol- 
lowed in succession the occupation of farm- 
ing, in which Samuel himself passed the 
early years of his life. He surmounted the 
difficulties in the way of acquiring an educa- 
tion, and had such benefits as the Antwerp 
school of early days afforded. In 1840 he 
married Miss Lucy M. Jenison, of Water- 
town, N. Y., who bore him five children, 
only one of whom (a son, Myron W. of Lud- 
dington, Mich.) survives. In 1844 he came 
to La Fargeville and began hotel life. 
" Uncle Sam " was noted far and near for his 
hospitality, which was carried into extrava- 
gance. Misfortune pursued him, and, unseen 
and unanticipated, fell upon him. In a few 
short months he realized the fact that all he 
once possessed by honest gain was lost. Un- 
dismayed by this failure, and with a keener 
knowledge of the " hotel business," in i860 
a new scene began to open which gave a 
fresh turn to his enterprising spirit. A^isiting 
that portion of the river above the Park, 
and having a prophetic sense of future 
value, he purchased eight islands for a 
small sum, and on the principal one 



{" Stewart's " Island, later known as " Jeffers ") 
he erected a small house, hanging over the 
front door the name " Tavern." and again 
commenced hotel life. " Grennell's Tavern " 
was hailed with enthusiasm by the sparce 
population of the islands, and was regarded as 
a wonderful enterprise. 'I he fame of the 
landlord spread and the ''Tavern "' was the 
scene of many a festive occasion. Thither 
flocked youth and maiden, and unfortunate, 
indeed, were the newly wed not within walk- 
ing or rowing distance of the " Tavern," as 
it was the one place to spend the honeymoon. 
Years passed on. The fame of the Thousand 
Islands became known, and brought many 
visitors from all parts of the land. The old 
" Tavern '.' has been changed to a modern hotel 
of beauty and convenience, and many whom 
the nation has honored have been the guests 
and received the meritorious service of 
"Uncle Sam." After thirty years of strug- 
gle and success Mr. Grennell retired from 
hotel life, and in 1S90 sold the beautiful site, 
now occupied by the " Pullman," to J. I. 
Sales, of Rome, N. Y. The eight islands pur- 
chased in i860 have been converted into 
pretty summer homes, and Jeffers' Island is 
the beautiful spot known as '■ Grennell Park," 
where Mr. and Mrs. Grennell still reside in 
peaceful seclusion. By marked industry Mr. 
Grennell has made a comfortable fortune, but 
he still retains the spirit and activity of youth. 



HOWARD S. FOLGER. 



59 



and during the summer he continues a six years of age he has not yet yielded to the 
flourishing mercantile business, and also has decrepitude of age, but is never better pleased 
charge of the post-office. Although seventy- than when relating experiences. n. m. k. 



HOWARD S. FOLGER. 

Among the river men who have come to by its prompt service to the public, and its 
the front within the past few years, and who remarkable freedom from accidents or care- 
now fill a position of great responsibility, is lessness. We show elsewhere portraits of the 




HOWARD S. FOLGER. 



Mr. Howard S Folger, the General Manager 
of' the Thousand Island Steamboat Company, 
popularly known as the "White Squadron," 
which embraces the palatial steamers Empire 
State, America, St. Lawrence, Islander, and 
Jessie Bain, which carry without accident more 
than h?ilf a million of passengers each season. 
That this fleet is well managed is evidenced 



commanders of these vessels, and they are 
/' able seamen " in every respect, careful, able, 
and discreet gentlemen. 

" Howard," as he is everywhere called, to 
distinguish him from the numerous class of 
Folgers, is the son of Mr. Henry Folger, of 
Folger Brothers, bankers, steamboat owners, 
brokers, etc., of Kingston, Ontario. Howard 



6o 



A SOUVENIR OF THE ST. LAWRENCE RIVER. 



was born in 1868, and up to the time he took 
charge of the large business of the company 
he was a student. He earned the degree of 
A. B. from Queen's College, Kingston, in 
1889. The next fall he entered Columbia 
College, New York City, and after spending two 
years there in the Law Department, was grad- 
uated with the degree of LL. B. in the spring 
of 1891. The object in taking this course 
was to fit him more completely for the position 
he was to fill by becoming well grounded in a 
knowledge of the general principles of law. 
In 1891 he took charge of the business of the 
company, and since then he has devoted him- 
self most perseveringly to its interests, as well 
as to those of the New York Central Railroad 
Company, with which the steamboat company 
is closely allied. 

The Folgers are Americans, even though 
their business interests are sj largely in Can- 
ada. We say this because rivals upon the 
river have designated them as foreigners. 
They are descended from a long line of sea 
captains whose operations were around Cape 
Cod and Massachusetts Bay from 1775 to 
1850. This family are directly related to that 
of Benjamin Franklin, whose mother was a 
Folger. No family in this section can trace 
its ancestry back to a more patriotic and hon- 
orable beginning. The sons and daughters 



of the Folger family would be admitted any 
day to become sons or daughters of purely 
American societies organized in this country 
to perpetuate the memory of the American 
Revolution. 

Mr. Howard S. Folger has always shown 
himself a worthy scion of this patriotic stock. 
He has exhibited remarkable business ability 
in the several positions he has been called upon 
to fill, and the popularity of the boats of the 
White Squadron is very much due to his ex- 
ecutive ability. A person intimately acquainted 
with the travel upon the river, which, some 
days, calls, for the handling of 20,000 people, 
with car loads of baggage, express, mail, etc., 
can understand that the demands upon the 
general manager are sometimes imperative, 
and are always laborious, calling for fore- 
thought, prompt action, and a careful consid- 
eration of the safety of passengers. The low 
water on the St. Lawrence during 1895 de- 
veloped many new dangers, but the White 
Squadron got through the season without any 
serious mishap, a fact that is the highest com- 
pliment to the skill of Mr. Folger and all his 
numerous subordinates, and enhanced the al- I 
ready enviable reputation of that company for 
handling safely the precious lives and the prop- 
erty committed to their charge. This is an 
enviable record, well earned. 



MR. FRANCIS M. HUGO. 



Every traveller upon the F'olger boats (and 
they carry about 70 per cent of all those who 
frequent the St. Lawrence archipelago), will 
have no trouble in recognizing the portrait we 
present on the next page, that of Mr. Hugo, the 
former purser, but now the assistant-general 
manager of the T. L S. B. Co., and a genial, 
accommodating, pleasant gentleman, whom it 
is a pleasure to know. He has a watchful eye _ 
for business, and it is said he would not pass 
his own mother at the gangway unless she could 
produce a proper ticket. Be that as it may, 
he is ever attentive to passengers, and is popu- 
larly known as the right bower of the steam- 
boat magnates, the F"olger Bros. 



He is Canadian born, though now a citizen 
of Watertown, N. Y. He graduated from 
Queen's College, Kingston, in the class of '92, 
and bears with dignity the degrees, M. A. and 
LL. B., and when not engaged in summer 
on the river, is studying law with the well 
known attorneys, Purcell & Carlisle, in Water- 
town. His ancestry is English, and he has 
the peculiar healthful brawn and vigor of that 
remarkable people. He promises to become 
a distinguished lawyer, and though the re- 
cipient of much flattery, his head has not yet 
swelled observably. Take him all in all, 
although reserved in manner, he is the most 
popular young man upon the river, a distinc- 



CAPTAIN H. C. HUDSON. 



6i 




MR. FRANCIS M. HUGO. 



tion he has earned by politeness, kindly feel- business. Frank is now twenty-five, having 
ing and by an unswerving attention to his own been born in 1870, at Kingston, Ont. 



CAPTAIN 

Whose classical features are shown among 
our unusually good-looking river men, was 
born at Cape Vincent, in 1842, making him 
now fifty-four years of age. He has commanded 
steamers since i86t, and has always followed 
the water since his early youth. He now 



C. HINCKLEY, 

commands the fine steamer " America," the 
newest and one of the finest of the Folger boats, 
in which capacity he is unusually popular 

Captain Hinckley's modesty has prevented 
our procuring as extended a sketch of his life 
as we had desired. 



CAPTAIN H. C. HUDSON. 

The popular and persevering commander born in Clayton, in 1855. He had the usual 
of the "New Island Wanderer," one of the advantage of tlie common schools and became 
fastest and promptest boats on the river, was possessor of a fine constitution hv th^ 1 hor 



62 



A SOUVENIR OF THE ST. LAWRENCE RIVER. 



incident to farm life. At fifteen he concluded 
to plough water instead of land, and in 1870, 
began to serve under Capt. W. E. Williams. 
For seven years he sailed the great lakes in 
the employ of the Northern Transportation 
Company, and then two years in the service 
of the Whiting Company of Detroit. For two 
years he commanded the steamer "Juniata," 
and for five years the "J. F. Maynard," which 
was consigned to the bone-yard last fall. For 
five years he also commanded the " Ontario," 
one of Captain Sweet's boats. He has com- 
manded the " New Island Wanderer " for four 
years, and the public will find him on deck on 
that fine steamer during 1896. His young son 



accompanies Capt. Hudson on the "Wan- 
derer," a very bright, active lad, promising to 
become as good a sailor as his father. The 
Captain was married to Miss Philena Hart, of 
Clayton, in 1877, and they have two children 
born to them. The youngest (Ross C.) is an 
infant, but the eldest (Chester E.) sails with 
his father on the Wanderer, and though only 
fifteen years of age is proving a reliable and 
eager participant in the affairs of the vessel, 
having charge of the book-stand. But few 
things transpire on that boat unknown to 
young Hudson, who only needs years to make 
him a full fledged sailor able to command. He 
is already a fair business man. 



CAPTAIN CHESTER W. REESE 



Is the son of William Reese, of Clayton, 
where the captain was born in 1867. He had 
the advantage of the excellent common 
schools of the town and early manifested a 
love for the water. His first experience upon 
the river was upon the " Island Belle " in his 
14th year, where he served as a deck hand, 
learning to become a pilot and navigator. 
Prompt, active, industrious and energetic, he 
rose from one position to another, until at last 
he became a full-fledged captain commanding 
the Folger Bros.' steamer " J. F. Maynard," 
then the "New Island Wanderer," then the 
" Islander," and now commands the most 



reliable, well-managed and every-way succes- 
ful Folger steamer, the " St. Lawrence." 

Captain Reese has proved himself emphati- 
cally the " right man in the right place," and 
is one of the most successful and popular of 
the Folger employes. His boat is always on 
time, and by his bravery, forethought and 
pleasant address Captain Chet. Reese has won 
his way to the very front rank among the river 
navigators. His aged parents still survive 
him, and his home is with them in the village 
of Clayton, which we may truthfully desig- 
nate " the sailors' snug harbor," Our Souvenir 
shows the faces of many of her seamen. 



CAPTAIN HENRY T. JOHNSTON. 



Commanding steamer "Nightingale," was born 
in Clayton in 1863. Naturally, when not at 
school he spent most of his time on or near the 
water. His father, Captain S. G. Johnston, 
then, and for years after, carried on an exten- 
sive business in ship-building. The son early 
learned all about boats, and later learned to 
draft and build them, and soon mastered all 
the details of that business. In 1883 he 
passed the examination before the government 



steamboat inspectors and received his first 
license as pilot. Seeing an opening on the 
river for a fast pleasure steam yacht for par- 
ties to charter, Capt. Johnston, senior, with 
his son, built the well-kown steam yacht 
" Sirius. " The son sailed her for five seasons 
among the Thousand Islands, the foot of Lake 
Ontario and the Bay of Quinte, thereby ac- 
quiring a knowledge of the river that could 
not be learned on the large steamers in years — 



■KATE" JOHNSTON. 



63 



a complete knowledge of the fishing grounds, 
shoals and beautiful narrow channels that are 
so numerous among these wonderful islands. 
Selling the " Sirius," the son built the "Alert " 
and commanded her for two seasons, and used 
her in the same capacity as the " Sirius." The 
river business increasing now so rapidly, and 
the different parks gaining so fast in summer 
population, the now well-known steamer 
" Nightingale " was built and made her ap- 
pearance among the river crafts. Becoming 
interested in her, the young captain was given 
command and established his well-known ferry- 



route between Clayton and Thousand Island 
Park. The popularity she at once met with 
can be seen by the favor shown her by the 
public in her passenger traffic between the 
places named. Having seen the grand old 
St. Lawrence spring into world-wide fame and 
popularity in so short a time as a summer 
resort, and the wildest islands, as if by magic, 
transformed into the finest of summer homes 
and parks, who would venture to predict what 
the future holds for this most beautiful and 
grandest watering place on the continent o£ 
America.? 



CATHERINE -KNOWN IN HISTORY AS "KATE" JOHNSTON, 

Was born in Sackets Harbor, Sept. 11, 
18 1 S. Her parents were William and Ann 
Johnston, and she was sister to two men well 
and favorably known in Clayton, Hon. John 
Johnston, a member of the Assembly, as well 
as having held many other offices — now a 
banker, and Stephen Decatur Johnston, for 
many years proprietor of the Walton House, 





KATE JOHNSTON. 



THE devil's oven. 

and that fine property is yet held by his 
widow and managed by his son-in-law. 

Kate Johnston came first into more or less 
public notice through her efforts to aid her 
father, over whose head a reward was sus- 
pended because he had been an active par- 
ticipant in what is still denominated " '1 he 
Patriot War," though what particular patriot- 
ism was displayed during the continuance and 
ignoble ending of that remarkable episode, 
we have never been able to ascertain. Her 
father being forced to go into hiding, she be- 
came his companion, adviser and real support. 



64 



A SOUVENIR OF THE ST. LAWRENCE RIVER. 



\ 



for she kept him supplied with provisions, 
clothing and news of the efforts his enemies 
were making towards his capture. In this 
work she was busy for over a year, and at last 
had the good fortune to see her father a free 
man, and holding the position of light-house 
keeper upon the great river which had been 
his hiding place for so long a time. He re- 
ceived a free pardon for whatever he had 
done in violation of international law. His 
daughter earned a wide reputation for her 



devotion to her father and thus became an 
important historical character. She married 
Charles L. Hawes, a brother of Mrs. John 
Johnston, of Clayton, and they reared five 
children. She died at the home of her brother, 
Hon. John Johnston, Clayton, N. Y., on March 
14, 1878, in her 60th year, leaving a name 
indissolubly interwoven into the legendary 
remembrances of the St. Lawrence, because 
she proved herself a brave daughter and a 
local heroine. 



CAPTAIN E. F. FORRESTER 



Was born on the St. Lawrence, near what 
is known as " Forrester Dock," August 
16, 1842, and was never out of sight of 
the river excepting for one year. During 
the rebellion he enlisted in Co. B, i42d N. Y. 
Infantry, and served one year. After coming 
home was out of health for a year or two, and 
so concluded to try the water for a while. His 
first sailing was on an old scow, on which he 
made one trip to Oswego. That made him a 
sailor, so he struck for more wages and shipped 
on a small schooner. There he served a 
couple of seasons, and then went into the em- 
ploy of what was known as the Northern 
Transportation Company, running propellers 
between Ogdensburg and Chicago. Here he 
stayed eleven years, commencing as wheels- 
man, and afterwards filled first and second 
officers' positions. Finally he got tired of the 
great lakes and concluded to stay on the old 



St. Lawrence. So when Capt. Visger built the 
" Island Wanderer" he bought the steamer 
" Cygnet," that built up the route among the 
Islands, since so popular with the tourist, and 
run her on the Ogdensburg and Alexandria 
Bay route for five years; then sold out and 
commanded the steamer " Rawson " for two 
seasons, then took the " Lotus " one year ; 
then the "Stranger" one year, and then be 
commanded the "Island Wanderer " for six 
seasons between Alexandria Bay and Ogdens- 
burg, and last season commanded the " Island 
Belle " between Clayton and Ogdensburg, 
making sixteen seasons he has been on the 
river routes. He has carried many thousands 
of passengers, 12,500 last year, and has always 
had his share of business on the river. Cap- 
tain Forrester enjoys the respect and confi- 
dence of all who know him as a competent 
commander and kind gentleman. 



CAPTAIN ELISHA W. VISGER 



Was born in the town of Orleans, which has 
a wide frontage upon the St. Lawrence, and 
has ever afforded extraordinary opportunities 
for making sailors of its young men. Capt. 
Visger had the advantages of the common 
schools of that day, and put in his time work- 
ing on the farm winters and attending school 
summers. In his 43d year he bought the 
steamer "Cygnet," and in 1876 began to make 
the first trips ever known among the Islands, 



an industry which has since developed into 
great importance, and has become a leading 
feature upon the river. He ran the "Cygnet" 
three years, and then he built the "Island 
Wanderer " (now the " Island Belle "), which 
he ran until 1888, and for nine years this 
proved the most celebrated excursion steamer 
on the river. During the winter of 1887 he 
formed a stock company and built the steamer 
" New Island Wanderer," which came out in 






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BIG MASCOLUNGE — 45 POUNDS. 

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CAPT. E. KENDALL, OF THE 
" ISLANDER." 

APT. FORRESTER, OF " ISLAND 
BELLE " 



CAPT. HUDSON. OF NEW ISI.A 
WANDERER." 

CAPT. JOHNSTON, OF " NIGHTINGA 



CAPT". S. G. JOHNSTON, KOAT BUILDER. 

CAPT. TAYLOR, ORIGINAL PROPRIETOR OF HEMLOCK ISLAND. 

[All these have Biographical Sketches, which see.] 



CAPTAIN FRANK KENDALL. 



65 



July, 1888. This boat Capt. Visger managed 
two years, then he acted as pilot upon the river 
until 1894, when he again managed the "Island 
Wanderer." Since then he has been the as- 
sistant to his son upon the " Captain Visger." 
Captain Visger, senior, is now in his 63d 
year, as young as at 35, and is in many re- 



spects a remarkably well preserved man, one 
of the pioneers in steamboating, a man re- 
spected by everybody, and looked up to as 
one of those who originated these excursion 
routes which have proved such an attraction 
to visitors. 



CAPTAIN WALTER L. VISGER 



Was born in St. Lawrence county in 1864, 
attended the common schools and completed 
his education at a business college in Roches- 
ter. His father having been for many years 
a navigator upon the river, naturally led his 
son into the same business, and in 1875 he 
became an assistant to his father upon the 
yacht " Cygnet." He remained upon that 
boat for three years, and then took a position 
upon the "Island Wanderer," now the "Island 
Belle." Here he remained until 1887, when 
the " New Island Wanderer" came out in 1888, 
which was commanded by his father, Capt. 
Elisha Visger. Here Captain Walter L. re- 
mained a year. After several years of varied 
employment, in the spring of 1895 he built 
and assumed command of the " Captain 
Visger," which has proved the most popular 
yacht upon the river, thus continuing the 



business conducted for twenty years by his 
father, who was the first man to make the pas- 
sage through the Lost Channel. 

The beautiful yacht "Captain Visger" is 
being overhauled for 1896, and it is the pur- 
pose of the commander to show his passengers 
every island, both American and Canadian, 
from three miles below Alexandria bay to 
Clayton. The trips will include nine-tenths 
of all the islands, improved and unimproved, 
in the St. Lawrence River, and are to be three 
hours in length, and will become a leading 
feature in the St. Lawrence river excursion 
business for the season of 1896, as well as for 
other seasons, as the "Captain Visger" has at- 
tained a popularity that will not soon be 
eclipsed by any rival, large or small. A picture 
of this fine boat is given elsewhere. 



CAPTAIN FRANK KENDALL. 



Upon our composite plates of the river cap- 
tains we present to the reader Captain Frank 
Kendall, commander of one of the Thousand 
Island Steamboat Company's steamers. 

He was born on one of the Thousand 
Islands of the old St. Lawrence, October 20, 
1858. His earliest desire was to navigate 
that grand stream, and he began to carry out 
this inclination while a mere lad, and his early 
boyhood found him a sailor in summer and at- 
tending school during the winter. Thus it was 
he laid the foundation of a knowledge which 
enabled him to hold so high a position of 
trust. He is a thorough gentleman as well as 



an efficient pilot. Long before he was 
twenty-one, the age required before receiving 
a pilot's license, he was thoroughly qualified 
to hold such a position. 

Among other crafts which he commanded 
in his early days were some of the steamers 
owned and managed by Mr. A. F. Barker, so 
that when the present Thousand Island 
Steamboat Company was organized, Captain 
Frank Kendall's ability and worth were not 
overlooked, and he was assigned to command 
a steamer in "the White Squadron." The 
Folgers soon recognized the fact that he was 
one of the most thorough and successful of 



ee 



A SOUVENIR OF THE ST. LAWRENCE RIVER. 



their employes, he never having had an acci- 
dent. It is but fair to add that Capt. Ken- 
dall still enjoys the high esteem of the company 
and is still in their employ. 

A more thorough and competent gentleman 
cannot be found anywhere. He is familiar 
with every point of interest on the river. 



This with his pleasant and affable manner, his 
conscientious adherence to the truth in even 
the most trivial matters, makes him one of 
the most interesting and entertaining gentle- 
men a stranger on the river could meet, and 
these agreeable attributes have made him hosts 
of friends at home and abroad. 



CAPTAIN JAMES A. TAYLOR. 



Gamalial Taylor, the grandfather of 
James A. Taylor, was a native of Rhode Is- 
land, and fought under General Greene in the 
Revolutionary war. In 1778 was married to 
a Miss Lacy, and settled at or near Pough- 
keepsie, N. Y., where Benjamin B. Taylor, 
the father of James A., was born April 18, 
1779, and served in the war of 1812 under 
General McCombs. He removed to Canada 
with his parents in 1S18, and settled near the 
Bay of Quinte, twenty miles above Kingston. 
In 1819 he married Sarah Bosback, and had 
two children, James A., born October 3, 1824, 
and Benjamin Taylor, born September 5, 
1827. This one joined the i86th N. Y. Vol. 
Inf., and was shot in the rebel works before 
Petersburg, April 2, 1865. Benjamin B. 
Taylor, the father, died in 1830, and Sarah 
Taylor, the mother, married D. R. Maxon, a 
former resident of Brownville, N. Y., Septem- 
ber 25, 1833; they reared three girls and three 
boys. (Marshman and Malcom Maxon served 
in the 2d Michigan Cavalry, and Matthew in 
the 1 86th N. Y. Vol. Inf.) The family re- 
moved to New York State May 6, 1838, and 
settled in the town of Orleans, on the St. 
Lawrence, directly opposite to where the 
" Sir Robert Peel " was burned, which oc- 
curred May 29, 1838, and the family saw it 
burn and " Bill " Johnson leave the wreck. 

The subject of this sketch then followed a 
sailor's life until 1846, when, in company with 
his step-father, he built a steam saw-mill and 
went into the lumber trade, which occupation 
he followed until 1862, when he joined the 
loth N. Y. Artillery as a private at its organ- 
ization, August 7, 1862, at Backet's Harbor, 
serving in company K, Capt. B. B. Taggart. 



James A. Taylor was ordered by the War 
Department to take charge of a recruiting 
party and proceed to Jefferson county, where 
he located in Watertown and Alexandria Bay. 
He received his commission as First Lieuten- 
ant May 9, 1863, and was assigned to com- 
pany I, Capt. H. O. Gilmore. On May 28, 
1863, he relieved Capt. Standring, 5th N. Y. 
Artillery, and took command of Fort Greble 
with half of company I, and a company of 
California cavalry, until relieved by Capt. 
Greene. He returned to his company, and 
resigned September 19, 1863. Re-enlisted 
August 22, 1864, joining the i86th as a pri- 
vate. January 14, 1865, commissioned as 
Second Lieutenant and assigned to company 
B, commanded by Capt. Jay D. McWayne. 
He took part with the regiment in the follow- 
ing engagements: Hatcher's Run, Fort Sted- 
man, and at the fall of Petersburg, April 2, 
1S65, and was at Appomattox when Lee sur- 
rendered April 9, 1865. He was mustered 
out with the regiment June 2, 1865, near 
Alexandria, Va. 

He returned home, and the same year 
bought Hemlock Island, now Murray Hill 
Park, for $100, part cash and the balance in 
trade. About the year 1870, in company 
with Sisson & Fox, of Alexandria Bay, bought 
the Fuller mill and what was called Potash 
Point, now a part of the village of Alexandria 
Bay, and engaged in the lumber trade. In 
1873, in company with John F. and Chas. 
Walton, bought the steamer " Shoecraft," of 
Buffalo, being the first yacht brought on the 
river for pleasure parties, and for exploring 
the islands and the various intricate channels 
of the river. In 1875 the "Needle Gun" 



CAPTAIN GEORGE SIVEET. 



67 



was added, owned by E. N. Robinson, of the 
II well-known firm of Robinson & Drew, of New 
York city. This gentleman gave our hero the 
name of "Captain Jack," by which name he 
has since been familiarly known on the river. 
He was appointed deputy collector of customs 
at Thousand Island Park in 1890, and the 
same year assisted in the formation of the 
"Thousand Island Investment Co.," with A. 
Corbin, Jr., of Gouverneur, N. Y., as Presi- 
dent; J. A. Taylor, Vice-President; J. C. 



Lee, Secretary and Treasurer. This company 
is located at Murray Hill Park, with capital 
stock of ^100,000, fully paid and non-assess- 
able. The company sold in fourteen months 
lots to the value of $63,000. It paid to stock- 
holders four S-per cent dividends, and is still 
a large owner of stock in said company, be- 
sides owner of Palisade Park and various points 
on the river. Captain Taylor's immediate 
family contributed five recruits to the Union 
army. 



CAPTAIN GEORGE SWEET 



Was born in Schuyler, Herkimer county, N. 
Y., in 1825. He had the advantages of the 
common school of that era, attending it 
winters and working on his father's farm 
in summer. His first experiences away from 
home were upon the Erie canal, and that 
gave him an inclination for life upon the 
water. In 1850 he was married to Miss 
Catherine Fults, and they have reared three 
children, two girls and one son, Vernon. 
Leaving the Erie canal, he came to Carthage 
in 1858, that place being the foot of navigation 
upon the Black Riyer canal, then recently con- 
structed, and there he was one of those who 
started the Carthage, Lowville and New York 
freight lines. They transported the greater 
part of the outgoing produce from Jefferson 
and Lewis counties to the east, the railroads 
not then being built. In i860 he launched 
the " Gallagher " for towing, and built several 
other boats for Black River service, including, 
in 1865, a passenger boat which made regular 
trips from Carthage to Lyons Falls. This 
boat was named the " F. G. Connell," and 
continued in service on the river until the 
Black River road was completed to Carthage. 
In 1872 Captain Sweet went to Rochester 
and built the " James H. Kelly," to run on 
the Genesee river between Charlotte and 
Rochester. In the spring of 1873 this boat 
was transferred to Cape Vincent for service 
upon the St. Lawrence between Cape Vincent 
and Alexandria Bay, connecting with the trains 
of the Rome and Watertown Railroad. This 



service employed the captain for three years, 
and the boat was used afterward for eleven 
years in the service of the Utica and Black 
River road after completion to Clayton. In 
this connection it may be said that Captain 
Sweet was the first person to present to the 
Rev. J. F. Dayan the possibilities of Wells- 
ley Island as the locality for a permanent 
Methodist camp-meeting ground. That was 
the beginning of the now celebrated Thousand 
Island Park. 

About 1876 Captain Sweet built the steamer 
"J. F. Maynard," so long known on the 
river between Cape Vincent, Clayton and 
Alexandria Bay. Having lengthened the 
" Kelly " some 30 feet, and had her registered 
as the "John Thorne," the captain had two 
boats upon the river, travel having increased 
very considerably. In 1 886 he sold his boats to 
the Folger Bros, and purchased the " Ontario," 
using her as an excursion boat from Charlotte 
to points near that locality, but she was soon 
put on the route to Alexandria Bay. She was, 
at a later day, put upon the regular route 
from Oswego to Alexandria Bay, in connection 
with the Delaware, Lackawana and Western 
Railroad, and thus continued until 1891. In 

1892 the captain put a steamer on Lake 
Canandarago, at Richfield Springs, and in 

1893 he built a steamer at Old Forge, upon 
the Fulton Chain, in the Adirondacks. He 
retains this boat (the " C. L. Stowell ") at the 
present time. 

The captain has been a popular and efficient 



68 



A SOUVENIR OF THE ST. LAWRENCE RIVER. 



navigator, and has always made friends wher- 
ever his lot has been cast. He is well remem- 
bered upon the St. Lawrence as one of the 
most agreeable and fortunate steamboat men, 
and as one of the first to build up and popu- 
larize the local passenger traffic, which has 
now become so profitable and important. 
Since 1858 he has been a resident of Carthage, 
N. Y., where he is recognized as a leading and 
influential citizen. 

Vernon Sweet, the captain's only son, was 



also a river captain, having commanded the 
"John Thorne " for a number of years, and 
took the " Ontario " down the St. Lawrence 
and around to New York harbor, whence she 
was despatched to the Caribbean Sea for duty 
there. His sudden and unfortunate death 
occurred in June, 1895, at Fulton Chain, and 
created extended sympathy. There was an 
amount of mystery about his death that has 
not yet been cleared up satisfactorily. [See 
Vernon's portrait on another page.] 



THE ST. LAWRENCE RIVER AND INLAND NAVIGATION. 



C EVERAL years ago there appeared in 
^Si/ one of New York's illustrated news- 
papers three curious pictures. The first rep- 
resented fifty men carrying a large block of 
stone. The men were arranged in four files 
and each file carried on their shoulders a 
stout pole. By means of other poles and 
ropes the block of stone was suspended in 
the middle of the group of men, and with 
much strain and labor they were staggering 
along with their great load. The second pic- 
ture represented the same stone placed in a 
rude cart and drawn by a pair of oxen with 
much difficulty over a sandy road. The third 
picture represented the same stone placed 
upon a hand-car and pushed along the rail- 
road track by one man. 

This first picture represented animal power 
used in the most wasteful manner. In the 
second picture the simpler principles of me- 
chanics were applied in a rude way to assist 
the oxen, who could not carry the stone 
or lift it from the ground, but when it was 
placed upon the cart they were able to carry 
it a much longer distance than was possible 
for the fifty men. In the third picture the 
mechanical advantage was utilized to the ut- 
most by employing a better vehicle and plac- 
ing it upon a smooth track. So great was 
the gain that one man did the work of fifty, 
and could propel the stone thirty miles a day, 
whereas the fifty men could barely carry it 
six miles a day with their utmost effort. 

It may be said that these pictures were 



highly instructive but incomplete, because a 
railroad was used as the means of swiftest and 
least laborious method of transporting the 
stone ; whereas, if applied to transportation 
by water, the resulting power, speed and sav- 
ing would have been enormously increased. 
If, instead of one block of stone, five such 
blocks as the one shown had been placed 
upon a boat and poled upon a river or canal, 
one man could have been seen doing the 
work of five times fifty men. The same 
effect would have been observed if, instead of 
poling the boat, one man had towed her along 
by means of a line in his hand, he travelling 
along a beaten path. The four pictures 
would then tell more than the first three, and. 
they would together make a graphic detail of 
some of the factors of the most important 
commercial questions of the day, and it 
would be clearly shown the great superiority 
of rivers or other waterways over railroads 
for the transportation of freights. These word- 
pictures may be called illustrations of the 
primitive methods of moving freights. 

Fifty years ago the St. Lawrence was just 
beginning to be appreciated as one of the 
great waterways of the Western world, and 
people in the East began to understand that 
along this great artery freights could be moved 
with reasonable celerity for half the rates 
charged by the railroads. 

In " Scribner's Magazine " an able article 
appeared a few years since, entitled " The 
Water Route from Chicago to the Ocean," by 



THE ST. LAWRENCE RIVER AND INLAND NAVIGATION. 



69 



Capt. C. C. Rogers, U. S. N. The whole 
article is too long to be given here, but it is so 
admirably written that we transcribe that por- 
tion taking in Lake Ontario, the 1,000 Island 
Archipelago, as well as the lower river below 
Ogdensburg and Prescott. In this connection 
the author of this Souvenir declares his inten- 
tion, if spared, to prepare and publish a book 
which shall give a complete history of every 
port upon the river, from Kingston to Quebec, 



Captain Rogers, in his article in Scribner's, 
says: 

Lake Ontario, the smallest of the great lakes, is 
igo miles long and more than 50 miles wide; its 
mean depth exceeds 400 feet, and its elevation above 
the sea is 234 feet. It seldom freezes, except near the 
shore. Oswego and Rochester are its principal ports 
on the south. The former has been in direct com- 
munication with the Hudson since 1822, by means of 
a small canal as far as Syracuse, and thence by the 
Erie Canal to Troy and Albany. Four railways con- 



wr 



'--*SiJ^ 



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1 


1 

1 


f^ 

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If 


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1 


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IS'--*-'" 


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A SAFE DAY FOR THE FISH, BUT A GOOD DAY FOR THE LOVERS. 



profusely illustrated. Indeed, he was prepar- 
ing for such a book, and had expended over 
$3,000 upon it, when the money panic of 1873 
occurred, and from that cause he was unable 
to proceed with the work. Such a book 
would, of necessity, be expensive, but it seems 
even now to be demanded by the travelling 
public as well as by the progressive people 
who have come into this unique St. Lawrence 
river section. 



verge here, and steamers ply daily to the eastern and 
western ports. Large quantities of grain are re- 
ceived, and twenty or more mills make it one of the 
largest flour manufacturing cities in the Union. 
There are also several foundries, machine shops and 
shipyards. 

Rochester, though seven miles from the lake, re- 
ceives a large quota of shipping through Charlotte, 
its port. From Charlotte ihe steamer " Bon Voy- 
age," whose picture is shown in this book, makes 
tri-weekly trips to Alexandria Bay; and it has two 
important channels of trade in the Erie and Genesee 



70 



A SOUVENIR OF THE ST. LAWRENCE RIVER. 



Valley Canals, the latter here uniting with the former. 
Its elevation above the lake is 226 feet, and its situa- 
tion on the Genesee River secures the immense water 
power due to its falls, and thus makes it naturally a 
manufacturing cit)'. Though ranking as one of the 
greatest flour-producers in the world, its manufac- 
tures in clothing, iron, glass and rubber are exten- 
sive. It is connected by rail with every city of im- 
portance in this country and Canada. 

On the Canadian side, Toronto is the largest city 
of this and of all the great lakes. Entered by six 
railways, possessing a good harbor, situated in the 
centre of a rich agricultural district, and being at 
once the religious, educational, political, literary, 
legal and commercial centre of the most populous 
province of Canada, it has advanced with great 
rapidity. Its population is about 160,000. To the 
English people of Canada, Toronto is what Quebec 
is to the French inhabitants. Quebec is French; 
Montreal, as the meeting place of all, is cosmopoli- 
tan; and Toronto is English. It has several found- 
ries and engine works, car-shops, rolling-mills, brew- 
eries, a mammoth distillery, and many other varie- 
ties of manufacture. 

The Richelieu & Ontario Navigation Company 
runs a daily line of steamers between this city, Mon- 
treal, Quebec, the Saguenay, and intermediate ports; 
it owns twenty-five vessels, the largest being nearly 
300 feet long and having a stated speed of twenty 
miles an hour. It has virtually a monopoly of the 
steam traffic over its itinerary. 

Hamilton, at the extreme west end of the lake, is 
the second city of Ontario in population, and the 
first in manufacturing industry. Its railways fur- 
nish communication with the principal points of the 
Dominion and of the United States. It is often 
styled the Birmingham of Canada, and, though the 
comparison is presumptuous, it is not altogether un- 
warranted. Its factories are equipped with modern 
plant and the latest labor-saving devices, and main- 
tain a daily output of metal, wood, and leather pro- 
ducts, textile fabrics, glassware, engines, and boil- 
ers. The capital invested in industrial operations is 
about one-thirtieth of the entire capital invested in 
manufacturing industries throughout the Dominion, 
and the proportion of goods is in nearly the same 
ratio. 

Cobourg, though small, boasts of a university, 
and ships annually to the United States 30,000,000 
feet of lumber, 30,000 tons of iron ore, and 150,000 
bushels of grain. Daily steamers run to Charlotte; 
and after leaving here, eastward-bound vessels pass 
well out into the lake, to avoid the great peninsular 
county of Prince Edward. 

Kingston, at the foot of the lake, has 16,000 in- 
habitants, is the seat of the Royal Military Academy 
of Canada, and ranks as a fortress next to Quebec 



and Halifax. Its bay is broad, deep, and well shel- 
tered, and in war it would become an extensive naval 
depot. Being the port of trans-shipment for Mon- 
treal of three-fourths of the grain arriving from the 
upper lakes, it is a city of some commercial import- 
ance; the grain is sent down the St. Lawrence in 
barges, the cost of such transfer being about one- 
half cent per bushel. Kingston is also the south 
terminus of the Rideau Canal, which connects it 
with Ottawa. There are manufactories of iron cast- 
ings, machinery, locomotives, marine engines, and 
leather; boat buildine; is carried on to a great extent, 
and vessels for lake and river navigation are built 
and fitted out. 

From Lake Ontario to Montreal the distance is 183 
miles. Just below Kingston, the lake contracts into 
the funnel-shaped head of the St. Lawrence River, 
enclosing the Thousand Islands. In reality they 
number 1,692 and extend forty miles, with a width 
in some places of seven miles. The descent of the 
river through them is made in well-defined channels, 
which, with their extensions, are so deep that vessels 
of the greatest draught can pass readily between the 
lake and Ogdensburg. As early as 1673, the wafers 
of this archipelago were traversed by a flotilla of 
two-gun barges and one hundred and twenty canoes, 
led by Frontenac, Governor of Canada, attended by 
the celebrated Abb6 de Ffenfelon. Steamers ply 
between Cape Vincent, Clayton, and Alexandria 
Bay, on the arrival of trains at the two former places, 
and, in addition to the Folger steamers, which con- 
nect with the trains, there are other good boats con- 
stantly plying up and down between Clayton, Alex- 
andria Bay and Ogdensburg. 

Overlooking the islands, on the Canadian side, is 
Brockville, of 6,000 inhabitants, a railway junction, 
and below which the Thousand Islands are left, and 
the open river, two miles wide, is entered. Thirteen 
miles farther lies Prescott, a stone-built town, whose 
chief business is done by a great distillery and 
brewery, and two iron foundries. The bastions of 
Fort Wellington are seen on the east. The Grand 
Trunk railway is nearly one mile from the town, and 
the St. Lawrence and Ottawa railway begins at the 
river side. The river is a mile wide here, and oppo- 
site stands Ogdensburg, with two miles of wharves and 
extensive flour and lumber mills. It is the terminus 
of three railways; and its situation at the fool of sloop 
navigation on the lakes gives it peculiar commercial 
advantages. Ten million bushels of western grain 
pass this point annually; in 1892, 16,000 tons were 
transhipped here for Montreal — a new departure, 
for up to i8go such transfers were made only at 
Kingston. 

About seven miles below Prescott begins the chain 
of the St. Lawrence canals proper, constructed to 
overcome the rapids which they flank, with a total 



THE ST. LA WRENCE RI VER AND INLAND NA VIGA TION. 



n 



rise of 206^ feet, and locks enabling lake vessels 
to descend and exchange cargoes with the sea-going 
ships at Montreal. They are, in order of descent, 
the Galop, Rapide Plat, Farran's Point, Cornwall, 
Beauharnois, and Lachine canals. Their combined 
length is 43t miles, the distance between Prescott 



increased size of vessels, the Canadian government 
decided in 1871 to make a navigable depth of 12 feet 
through all the canals and river-shallows, which soon 
after was changed to 14 feet. Since then work has 
been carried on wilh this object in view, but it has 
not been completed. Two new locks of the Corn- 



\ 




and Montreal being iig miles 
also styled the Williamsburg canals. The Galop 
formerly comprised two distinct channels, known as 
the Iroquois and the Galop canals; they were joined 
and now form one line. 

Originally, this system of canals was designed for 
a depth of g feet, but the fluctuations in the stage of 
the river rendered it difficult to maintain ; at times 
it falls to 6 feet seven inches. On account of the 



A GOOD PLACE FOR BASS. 

The first three are wall canal are of the standard dimensions (Welland 



size ) ; and the Lachine canal has been completed 
for 12 feet navigation, wilh locks and bridges 
adapted for 14 feet navigation, the untouched work in 
it consising of the excavation of the canal prism to 
a further depth of two feet for more than six miles of 
its length. 

The river channel has been cleared of obstacles to 
14 feet navigation from the head of Galop Rapids to 



72 



A SOUVENIR OF THE ST. LAWRENCE RIVER. 



the Cornwall canal; from the foot of the latter to the 
Beauharnois canal it is navigable by the largest ves- 
sels; and a depth of 14 feet again exists through Lake 
St. Louis, excepting the lower four miles, in which 
the channel must be deepened and widened at a 
number of places. 

The Cornwall canal overcomes the Long Sault 
Rapids ; at St. Regis, near the foot, the forty-fifth 
parallel intersects the St. Lawrence, which now be- 
comes exclusively Canadian. It is also interesting 
to observe the small width of the river near this 
point, and that the narrowest width between the 
United States and Canadian territory is about 600 
feet, measured between the northwest side of Croil's 
Island and the canal bank. The St. Lawrence now 
expands into Lake St. Francis, 25 miles long and 5 
miles in maximum breadth, and dotted with inlets 
at its lower end. 

The Beauharnois cafial lies on the south side of 
the river and overcomes the Cascades, Cedar, and 
Coteau Rapids. Surve3's for a new route have 
been made on the northern bank. It connects 
Lakes St. Francis and St. Louis, the latter in turn 
being connected with Montreal harbor by the Lachine 
canal. 

The latter consists of one channel with two dis- 
tinct systems of locks, the old and the enlarged, 
both of which are in use. On its banks are the 
canal and Grand Trunk offices and sheds, occupy- 
ing a point of land on which the celebrated Victoria 
bridge finds its terminus. Opposite the upper en- 
trance is the Indian village of Caughnawaga, the 
terminus of the Montreal and New York railwaj', 
with which the Grand Trunk connects by ferry ; a 
railroad from Montreal to Lachine borders the 
northern bank of the canal. Sea-going vessels can 
now pass into the basins between the lower locks 
with coal, sugar, and plaster for the factories in this 
part of the city and for the Grand Trunk works. 
They can also reload at the same points, where there 
is ample dock room. 

After leaving Lake St. Louis, the St. Lawrence 
dashes wildl}' down the Lachine Rapids, a descent 
of forty-two feet in two miles ; and eight miles 
farther on, after passing beneath the twenty-five 
spans of the Victoria bridge, one and three-quarter 
miles long, reaches the quays of Montreal. 

The purposes had in view by the Canadian govern- 
ment in determining upon a depth of fourteen feet, 
were to enable the largest class of lake vessels at 
that time to carry their cargoes direct to Montreal 
without breaking bulk; to secure for Canada all the 
a4vantages which the possession of this magnificent 
waterway ought to give it; to make the St. Lawrence 
in its whole length the highway by which the 
surplus products of the West would seek an outlet 
to the sea ; and to put it into a position to compete 



successfully for the export trade of the continent 
with the several lines of communication on our side 
of the boundary. 

The total expenditure on the Welland and St. 
Lawrence Canals is about $41,250,000 ; it will re- 
quire $12,750,000 more to complete the work, or 
$54,000,000 in all. The construction of the lock at 
Sault Ste. Marie and other necessary improvements 
will swell this sum to $60,000,000, the final result 
being a navigable depth of fourteen feet between 
Lake Superior and Montreal. 

The history of marine architecture does not fur- 
nish another instance of so rapid and complete a 
revolution in the material and structure of floating 
equipment as has taken place on the great lakes 
since 1886. In that year the total valuation of the 
vessels by Lloyd was about $30,600,000. In iS8g, 
sixty new steamers and eleven sailing vessels, ag- 
gregating 70,000 tons, and valued at $6,650,000, 
were added to the fleet. During the four winters of 
i886-l8go, the tonnage of the lakes was nearly 
doubled ; 206 vessels, measuring 399,975 tons, were 
turned out of the shipyards with a valuation of $27,- 
389,000. During the same time, the number of 
steamers of more than 1,500 net register tons in- 
creased from 21 to no. The two valuations of 
the fleet already presented diiTer by more than 
$9,000,000; but either one emphasizes the fact of 
the very recent and extraordinery growth of this 
commerce, and renders it difficult to predict the in- 
crease in the tonnage and in the size of vessels 
upon the lakes during the four years that remain till 
the opening of the next centurj'. 

More than one-half of the vessels on the great 
lakes are assigned to Chicago, Port Huron, Detroit, 
Milwaukee, Grand Haven, Cleveland, and Buffalo. 

The number of Canadian vessels on the lakes is 
647 ; tonnage, 132,971; valuation, $3,989,130. For 
further comparison, it may be stated that the total of 
coast and inland shipping registered in Canada is 
7,153 vessels, of 1,040,481 register tons, valued at 
$31,213,430. 

The increase in population of the lake ports indi- 
cates the great increase that must follow, necessa- 
rily, in the business of the lakes and also of the rail- 
ways tributary to them. Buffalo has increased from 
about 42,000 in 1850 to 255,000 in 1890 ; Cleveland, 
from 17,000 in i860 to 262,000 in 1890 ; Chicago, 
from 30,000 in 1850 to 1,100,000 in 1890 ; while De- 
troit and Milwaukee exhibit a remarkable parallel- 
ism in growth, the former having increased from 
116,340 to 205,876 during the last ten years, and the 
latter from 115,587 to 204,468. 

The simplicity of lake commerce is one of its chief 
characteristics. Coal, iron ore, and lumber com- 
prise three-fourths of the total cargo tonnage of the 
lakes : add to these corn, wheat, and mill products. 



THE ST. LAWRENCE RIVER AND INLAND NAVIGATION. 



71 



and nine-tenths of the total traffic will be accounted 
for. 

The sailing vessel has almost disappeared from 
the lakes. The square-rigged ship is no longer seen, 
and only a few of the great cargo-carrying schooners 
are left. The sailing fleet was succeeded by the 
propeller, as it is known locally, with its tow of one 
or more consorts ; and it in turn is giving way to the 
modern steamer, maintained at little more than one- 
half the cost while having a carrying capacity quite 
as great, a speed double that of the propeller and 
consort, and making two or three round trips for 
one of the tow. 

The rapid growth, too, of steam transportation, 
and the competition of lake lines with the railways, 
have caused continual reductions in the cost of 
transportation. The cost per ton per mile of carry- 
ing freight an average distance of eight hundred 
miles, was one and one-half mills in i8Sg. The 
value of all the cargoes — 27,500,000 tons — carried on 
the lakes during that year was over $305,000,000. 
Had this been carried at railway rates, Mr. E. L. 
Corthell, of the Society of Engineers, estimates that 
the cost to the public would have been over $143.- 
000,000 ; by the lake rates it was about $23,000,000 
only ; so that transportation on the lakes saved to 
the public about $120,000,000 in one j'ear. A large 
part of the heavy freight has been carried for less 
than one and one-half mills per ton per mile. An- 
thracite coal is carried from Buffalo to Duluth, 1,000 
miles, for 30 cents per ton. The water-rates from 
Chicago to Buffalo, on wheat, were two and one-half 
■cents per bushel in 1890. 

The average distance for which freight on the 
lakes is carried is 566 miles. From this, the Cen- 
sus Bureau estimates the ton mileage for the season 
of 1889 to be 15,518,360,000 ton miles. The aggre- 
gate ton mileage of railways for the year ending 
June 30, 1889, was 68,727,223,146 ; which shows that 
the ton mileage of the lakes is nearly one-fourth of 
the total ton mileage of railways in the United States. 
In no other way could the relative importance of 
lake commerce be more effectively shown. 

The ship builders of the lakes are progressive, 
and keep pace with all improvements in marine ar- 
chitecture. Steel vessels are built with double bot- 
toms, water-tight compartments, triple-expansion 
engines, and modern electrical and steam appli- 
ances. The structural strength may be realized 
from the fact that a large proportion are built for 
the trade in iron ore. At a time trial in Esca- 
naba, during the summer of 1887, a steamer was 
loaded with over 2,000 tons of ore, and steamed 
away from the dock in forty-five minutes after being 
placed under the chutes. The record shows that 
another vessel was loaded with 2,800 tons of coal in 
one hour and fifty minutes , 300 tons for fuel were 



put on board in another hour, so that in two hours 
and fifty minutes after opening the hatches, the ves- 
sel was loaded and coaled. That ordinary sea- 
going ships will not stand the strains of this traffic 
is demonstrated by the fact that four steel steamers, 
built on the Clyde for Canadian owners, had to be 
repaired and strengthened throughout, after one 
season's work, to fit them for further service. These 
vessels steamed across the Atlantic, were cut into 
halves on the lower St. Lawrence, the sections being 
then towed through the canals and put together on the 
lakes. Two more were built on the Clyde, with the 
benefits of this experience and of the builders' visits 
to our Northwestern ship-yards. 

The %vharves for the unloading of ships at Mon- 
treal are ten feet below the level of a revetement 
wall, which extends along the entire river-front of 
the city; so that one standing upon the wall may 
see the shipping of the port spread out before him. 
Near the Lachine canal are the basins for the Allan 
steamers to Glasgow and Liverpool; then follow 
steamers from the Maritime Provinces and European 
ports, then sailing ships and the sheds of the Lon- 
don Line and of the Dominion Line from Liverpool; 
next are the river boats plying between Quebec and 
Montreal; then succeed the smaller river steamers, 
barges, and finally sailing vessels and steamers as 
far as Hochelaga. Here, nearly 1,000 miles inland 
from the Atlantic, are vessels from all parts of the 
world; from England, with iron, dry goods, and 
general goods; from the Mediterranean, with wines 
and groceries; from Germany, with glass and gen- 
eral goods; from China with tea — alongside of ves- 
sels loading with return cargoes of grain, cattle, 
lumber, mineral phosphates, and other products of 
Canada. The wharves are not disfigured bj' un- 
sightly ware-houses, but the river-street is as clear 
as a Parisian quay. 

Leaving Montreal, the steamer glides swiftly down 
the St. Mary current, leaving on the right St. Helen's 
Island, a prettily %vooded spot, named after Helen 
Boulle, the young wife of Champlain, who charmed 
the wild Hurons in 1620 with her gentle manners. 
Still further to the right opens out Longueil Bay, 
exhibiting in the tinned steeple and steep roof of its 
village church the characteristic picture of the lower 
St. Lawrence in parish after parish. The river flows 
through a wide alluvial plain, the Laurentian Moun- 
tains far on the north, and on the south the Green 
Mountains; everywhere long stretches of arable 
land, broken only where the Lombardy poplar rears 
its formal shape against the sky. 

Below Longueil the Ottawa joins its flood finally 
with the St. Lawrence, hiding its union in a cluster 
of low islands. Opposite Berthier, on the right 
bank, the Richelieu falls into the St. Lawrence, 
after draining Lakes Champlain and George. On 



74 



A SOUVENIR OF THE ST. LAWRENCE RIVER. 



its eastern bank stands Sorel, where most of the 
steamers on the river have been built. The Riche- 
lieu is rendered navigable to Lake Champlain by a 
small lock twelve miles above Sorel, and by the 
Chambly Canal, thirty-two miles further up-stream; 
these give a navigable depth of seven feet, and 
accommodate vessels 114 feet long and 23 feet wide. 
The St. Lawrence now opens out to a width of nine 
miles; and for twenty-five miles the steamer passes 




sr*> 



^^^!^.a*L.*. 




'MiwiBtoi^"^'' 



THE STEAMER "ALGERIAN" RUNNING THE LONG 

through Lake St. Peter, a vast expanse of flats 
through which a ship channel has been dredged. At 
several places between Montreal and Quebec, there 
were formerly shoal places, preventing large vessels 
from reaching the former city. Their aggregate 
length was nearly forty miles, divided between twenty 
difTerent places, the widest being in Lake St. Peter. 
The work of dredging the channel here began in 



1844, and continued with the increase in trade and 
size of ocean steamers, till, at the end of 1885, a 
depth of 27i feet was reached, the total cost being 
$3,503,870. This channel varies from 300 to 450 feet 
in width. As a consequence of these river improve- 
ments, the size of vessel able to ascend to Montreal 
has increased from 1,045 tons and 12 feet draught, 
in 1856, to 3,211 tons and 23 feet draught in 1878; 
and now that the works are completed, ships of 4,000 
tons or even more can navigate 
the St. Lawrence with safely. 

East of the lake lies Three 
Rivers, the third city of import- 
ance on the lower St. Lawrence. 
Here the river first meets the 
tide; the St. Maurice falls in 
from the north, after a course 
of 300 miles through an im- 
portant lumberregion. Further 
east, and running parallel to it, 
is the St. Anne, twenty miles 
below which, in the St. Law- 
rence, occur the Richelieu 
Rapids, where large ships 
usually wait for high tide be- 
fore passing, as the rocks are 
dangerous. The scenery now 
begins to lose its flatness, and 
in the distance the mountains 
around Quebec can be seen, 
blue and dim. On the right, 
near the city, is the mouth of 
the Chaudifere River; and glid- 
ing on, past ships, rafts, and 
booms, the steamer sweeps 
under Cape Diamond, into the 
basin of Quebec, shadowed by 
precipitous cliffs from which 
the Queen of the St. Lawrence 
looks down in all her quaint 
beauty upon a scene rarely 
equalled in the new world. 

The lower town of Quebec 
is built on reclaimed land, 
around the base of the cape, 
one of its sides being washed 
by the St. Charles, which here 
flows into the St. Lawrence. 

SAULT RAPIDS. . , ^ j- t o 

At the mouth of the St. 
Charles is the Princess Louise Embankment, enclos- 
ing a tidal basin of twentj' acres, which is 24 feet 
deep at low water; connected with it is a wet dock, 
of 27 feet depth, and fort)' acres area. On the oppo- 
site side, at point Levis, is the Lome Dry Dock, 500 
feet long, 100 feet wide, and 25J feet deep on the 
sills. The commerce of this city began with the fur 
trade, and this remains an important element. 



THE ST. LAWRENCE RIVER AND INLAND NAVIGATION. 



75 



Enormous transactions in lumber go on here annu- 
ally. The whole lower valley of the St. Lawrence 
and the northern lumber regions draw their merchan- 
dise from this center. 

On leaving Quebec, far off to the left is the 
Montmorenci, whose white foam shines out from 
the green hillside. As the steamer moves across the 
basin, beautiful views are afforded on all sides, in- 
cluding a fine retrospect of the citadel, towering 
over the river. The fine island of Orleans is soon 
reached on the left, with its village of St. Laurent, 
where the expedition under Wolfe landed in 1759. 



ning to approach nearer, and while watching the 
ever-changing views, the Traverse is reached, where 
the river is thirteen miles wide, but the only channel 
available for large ships is not more than 1,400 yards 
across. The Isle-aux-Coudres and two large shoals 
obstruct its navigation, the bottom is irregular, and 
currents run in all directions. 

The traveller's interest is now apt to pass from the 
water and the mountain heights to the seigniory of 
Las Eboulements, remarkable as an earthquake 
centre. Jesuit tradition relates that in 1663 the 
mountains were thrown down and the face of the 




An intervening island hides St. Anne, a pretty vil- 
lage to which pilgrimages are made, and where the 
patron saint has worked as many miracles as any in 
Europe. Thirty miles below Quebec is Grosse Isle, 
the quarantine station, and about which linger the 
memories of 1807, when the famine-stricken Irish 
poured into Canada, and 6,000 are said to have been 
buried here in one long grave. Opposite rises Cape 
Tourmente, 1,800 feet high, the north shore now 
being wild and mountainous, and rising so boldly 
from the river as to permit no roadway along its 
base, and so rocky and desolate as to prevent habita- 
tion for many miles; while the south side for more 
than 100 miles is a continuous settlement. Yet far 
off in the latter direction, the mountains are begin- 



STEAMER "CORSICAN" RUNNING LACHINE RAPIDS. 

country was changed as far as the Saguenay. Ice 
was thrown up in great heaps, the river ran of a 
changed color, a mountain was cast into the sea and 
became an island, the piety of the inhabitants grew 
more earnest, and there were never so many con- 
fessions or conversions; even liquor-dealers saw the 
error of their ways and repented. 

A short run brings the steamer to a wharf where 
passengers land for Rivifere du Loup and for 
Cacouna, the paradise of fair Quebeckers and famous 
for dancing and flirting. Nearfy opposite enters the 
Saguenay, cleft through the mountains and nearly 
900 feet deep for many miles. In the little harbor at 
its entrance died Chauvin, the enterprising Hugue- 
not, who induced Champlain to visit Canada. 



76 



A SOUVENIR OF THE ST. LAWRENCE RIVER. 



Perched high above it on the cliffs, is a quaint little 
chapel, evincing the zeal of its founders, in a wilder- 
ness of cliffs where roads are impossible. 

Bic Island is the next point of interest; it is the 
last anchorage in the river, where outward bound 
vessels leave their pilots and many ships are found 
during the summer. Here in December, 1861, a 
Cunard steamer landed a regiment of the Guards 
during the crises of the Trent affair. Finally, 
Rimouski is reached; the Intercolonial Railway to 
Halifa.\ passes through it, and ocean steamers re- 
ceive passengers and mails for the last time. The 
town is two miles from the wharf, and is the most 
important settlement in the province east of Quebec. 

The south bank now rapidly becomes bold and 
grand; the mountains have receded from the north 
shore, so !hat all the scenery is on this side. At 
Point des Monts, the Gulf of St. Lawrence is en- 
tered; the left shore trends rapidly to the north; 
little fishing stations only are seen at the base of the 
steep hills. Anticosti becomes quickly visible in 
the distance, with a flora indicating a subarctic cli- 
mate; while opposite, near the western shore, are 



the Seven Islands, green with turf and flowers, and 
forming a beautiful iand-locked bay where the largest 
fleets could ride in safety. Whittier has made them 
the scene of a touching ballad, in which he aptly 
styles them "the last outpost of summer upon the 
dreary coast." All along tc Belle Isle are deep 
fiords, broad bays crowded with rocky islets, salmon 
streams without number, and myriad inlets, the 
haunts of innumernbie aquatic birds,, from these for- 
bidding shores, whose cold waters teem with fish in 
inconceivable numbers, greater wealth has been car- 
ried than from the mines of Potosi. Nor "las time 
deprived them of a place in romance; as the steamer 
bids adieu to St. Lavi^rence waters, the eye has a 
final glimpse of the pretty island of Meccatina, where 
Roberval, the stern Huguenot, abandoned his niece, 
Lady Margaret, and her duenna, when her love be- 
came evident. Her lover jumped overboard and 
swam to the island to share her fate. The duenna 
died, and the lover died; and after two years of soli- 
tary struggle, the lady was rescued by a passing 
vessel and carried to her home across the ocean 
while she was trying to forget what she had endured. 






HOW THE INDIANS LEARNED THE RAPIDS. 

CAPT. JOHNSTON, OF CLAYTON, TELLS ABOUT THE FIRST STEAMER THAT RAN THE ST. LAW- 
RENCE RAPIDS. 



f\' 



, MONG the ablest of those river-men who 
have made their impression upon the 
era in which they have lived, is Captain 
Simon G. Johnston, of Clayton, for many 
years foreman in Merrick, Fowler & Essel- 
styn's large shipyard at that place, where they 
built the finest steamers that ever ploughed 
the waters of the St. Lawrence, the " New 
York," "Northerner," "Bay State," and 
*' Niagara." The captain is now owner, with 
his son, of the steamer " Nightingale," which 
forms an independent line upon the river. 

In a late conference with Captain Johnston 
we were much impressed with his knowledge 
of river incidents, and we let him tell his story 
in his own unique manner: 

A great deal of steamboat talk has been 
going the rounds of the press lately, and some 
of it is far from true. 

I have been on Lake Ontario and the St. 
Lawrence river sixty years. In 1840 I was on 
the steamer " Telegraph " as wheelsman, and 



since 1844 I have been in the vessel or steam- 
boat business. I was on the propeller Western, 
running between Montreal and Toronto and 
west, in 1843, ^"d ii^ those days we ran all the 
rapids, for there was no canal but the Lachine. 
We came up through the Lachine, thence up 
by the way of the Ottawa (then called " By- 
town ") and thence to Kingston on the Rideau. 
I am stating these facts to explain what I mean. 
Now the first large boat to run the rapids 
was a boat built at Niagara, called the " On- 
tario," which carne out in 1839 or 1840, and 
proved to be a very fast boat for those days. 
On her trial trip she broke one of her shafts 
thirty or forty miles below Toronto. It hap- 
pened that the steamer " Coburg " came along 
and asked if the " Ontario " needed assistance, 
and the latter's captain replied, " No, I thank 
you." He then caused the boiler on that side 
of the boat to be filled with water, moved all 
the ballast over to that side, and started with 
one wheel. Running under these difficulties. 



HOW THE INDIANS LEARNED THE RAPIDS. 



77 



the " Ontario " beat the " Coburg " into 
Toronto. This went the rounds of the press 
so that parties from Montreal came up, bought 
her and took her to Montreal to run between 
Montreal and Quebec as a mail boat. She 
carried the mail in 1843 and was called the 
" Lord Sydenham." She was the first steamer 
to run the rapids. 

She was piloted by Indians, " Old Jock " and 
" Old Pete " being chief pilots. As no boat 
had run the Lachine 
rapids before that, it 
was quite a risk for the 
owners as well as for 
the Indians. The pilots 
were to have $i.,ooo 
each if she was landed 
safely at Montreal, 
which was done. 

First a crib was made 
forty feet square with 
pine floats ten feet 
apart, with stakes ten 
feet long driven in 
each square, projecting 
downward. When all 
was ready some In- 
dians were sent to the 
foot of the rapids and 
some were stationed in 
the trees on the side of 
the rapids. Several In- 
dians towed the crib to 

the head of the rapids with their canoes and 
let go of it. Then every Indian watched the 
course it took as the crib sped on its way with 
the current of the stream. When it reached 
the foot of the rapids the crib was turned over 
and it was found that none of the stakes were 
broken. That was a positive indication that 
there was water enough to run the " Ontario " 
through. The Indians then boarded the 
steamer. Each Indian piloted the " Ontario " 
as far as he had observed the crib's course. 
The only white man on board was the engi- 
neer, who also, I was told, received $1,000. 
This story I got from " Old Joch," v/ho used 
to pilot us and who ran us through the Lachine 
rapids nine times without a mishap. 



As Mr. James Mooney takes exception to 
the statement in connection with Captain 
Chapman, of Ogdensburg, I likewise take ex- 
ception to what he says, though he is right as 
to the "Canada" and "America" running 
the rapids before the "New York." The 
" Canada " and " America " were modeled in 
New York and built at Niagara by Louis 
Sichaluna, and the joiner work, cabins, etc., 
were done by A. B. Wright, of New York 




A PICNIC IN THE RIFT, LA RUE ISLAND. 



city. They were built for the Great Western 
railroad, and ran between Hamilton and Cape 
Vincent. They v/ere about 1,100 tons each, 
275 feet keel, and fitted and furnished with 
all conveniences in the way of state rooms, 
etc. The boats did not pay and were sold to 
some company to run on a river in the south. 
They were taken through the rapids in 1858 
or 1859. 

The " New York " was built at Clayton by 
John Oades, and never belonged to the same 
line that the "Canada" and "America" did, 
though she ran with them in 1856 and made 
better time than they could, and was acknowl- 
edged to be the fastest boat on the lake and 
river. She was 255 feet keel and of 995 tons. 



;8 



A SOUVENIR OF THE ST. LAWRENCE RIVER. 



Her joiner work was done by A. B. Wright, 
of New York city, and she was finished com- 
plete at Clayton. Captain Chapman came 
out in her with William Gardner, of Ogdens- 
burg, as chief engineer in 1852. On her trial 
trip, with machinery and everything new, she 
made eighteen miles per hour. She made a 
record, from Cape Vincent via the north side 
of Carlton Island to Rock Island light, of 
sixty minutes. We have no boats now that 
can do that in seventy-five minutes. 

The " New York " belonged to the Ontario 
and St. Lawrence Steamboat Company, and 
hailed from the port of Ogdensburg. This 
company owned the steamer " Northerner " of 
905 tons, and Captain Chapman was a large 
stockholder in them. These two boats, in 



1859 and i860, ran an express line between 
Lewiston, Toronto and Ogdensburg, making a 
daily line and stopping at Cape Vincent, Clay- 
ton, Alexandria Bay, and Brockville. 

In 1861 and 1862 they were sold to the 
United States goverjiment, and Captain Chap- 
man took them both to Montreal. William 
Gardner was engineer of both boats. After 
the government bought them the " Northern- 
er's " name was changed, but the " New 
York's " was not. She was the flag of truce 
boat at Fortress Monroe during the war. One 
year ago she was still running at Cape Breton. 
The " New York " and the " Northerner " 
were run through the Lachine rapids by .In- 
dians. I never knew but one white man to run 
the Lachine rapids, and his name was Roback. 



THE FRONTENAC HOTEL AND ROUND ISLAND. 



/^THE conspicuous location of Round Island 
^1 has given the ideal summer community 
which adorns its shores, and the handsome 
hotel at this point, the advantage of a wide 




MR. H. VAN WAGENEN S COTTAGE, ROUND ISLAND 



reputation. It is the first stopping place for 
travel-laden steamers which pass down the 
river from Cape Vincent or Clayton. 

Round Island was bought about seventeen 
years since by an association of gentlemen, 
largely from Central and Northern New York, 
who proposed to found a resort connected 



with the Baptist church. Many prominent 
people purchased lots in picturesque sites and 
built handsome cottages. 

The island has always been popular, and 
the hotel, in the course of time, 
became too small to accommo- 
date the many families who 
made it their usual summer 
home. Six years ago the 
charter of the association and 
its property were acquired by 
a number of wealthy cottagers 
and others resident there, and 
a large amount of money was 
expended in building wings to 
the hotel, remodelling its in- 
terior and in refurnishing and 
equipping the house through- 
out, and at the present time it 
enjoys a reputation with the 
best class of the travelling pub- 
lic secona to none upon the river. 

Round Island is now entirely unsectarian. 
No cheap excursions are permitted to land 
there. The island, with its beautiful rambles, 
walks and vistas, is maintained for the pleas- 
ure of the hotel guests and the inmates of its 
seventy cottages. 



THE CHIPPEWA YACHT CLUB. 



79 



The Frontenac Hotel is conducted by Mr. 
E D. Dickinson, of Syracuse, a veteran and 
most popular host. Kapp's excellent orches- 
tra, of Syracuse, is engaged each season. 

The Frontenac is provided with a handsome 
elevator, sideboard in the cafe, billiards, pool, 
ten-pins, tennis field, base-ball grounds, boat 
livery, telegraph and express offices, in fact, 
every convenience of a thorough modern hotel. 

The voyageur down the river approaching 
the head of Round Island is interested in the 
handsome summer homes half hidden among 
its verdure. Those upon the head, showing 
large expenditure of money in their construc- 
tion and environment, are owned by Mr. Jacob 
Hayes and Mr. Hubert Van Wagenen, of New 
York, and Hon. J. J. Belden, of Syracuse. 
Dr. Geo. D. Whedon, of Syracuse, owns 
" Ethelridge " upon the point. Along the 
channel are the cottages of Dr. F. H. Stephen- 
son, of Syracuse; A. B. Schrueder, of Syra- 
cuse; E. M. Henderson, of Weedsport; W. B. 
Kirk, of Syracuse ; Mrs. T. B. Kirk, of Syra- 
cuse; Mrs. George Harbottle, of Auburn; 
Mrs. H. A. Foster, of Syracuse; H. S. Bar- 
bour, of Watertown; J. D. Squires, of New 
York; D. H. Murray, of Syracuse; N. A. St. 
John, Binghamton; Chas. E. Best, Jordan, 
N. Y.; Fred O. Lloyd, of Syracuse; Geo. L. 
Crandall, of Binghamton ; R. E. Rindge, of 
Norwich, N. Y.; Mrs. S. R. Francis, of Car- 
thage, N. Y.; J. N. Cloyes, of Utica; Mrs. J. 
H. Harris, of Syracuse; Mrs. J. G. Harbottle, 
of Watertown ; C. C. Laidlaw, of Gouverneur, 
N. Y.; E. D. Sherwood, of Camillus, N. Y.; 



Geo. M. Barnes, of Syracuse; E. L. Hemin- 
way, of Watertown; Anthony Lamb, of Syra- 
cuse; Fred Frazer, .of Syracuse ; E. M. Alle- 
welt, of Syracuse ; Estate of Dr. Edward 
Bright, of New York; N. H. Burhans, of 
Syracuse; L. V. Rathbun, of Rochester; Mrs. 
L. T. Sawyer, of Watertown ; Mrs. Jas. Eaton, 
of Syracuse ; N. H. Bulloch, of Fisher's Land- 
ing (below the wharf) ; Mrs. L G. Morehouse,* 
of Syracuse; C. H. Rose, of New York; and 
S. V. R. Van Heusen, of Syracuse. At the 
immediate foot of the island are the handsome 
and picturesque properties of John Dunfee, 
of Syracuse; Chas. A. Johnson, of New York, 
and Frank H. Taylor, of Philadelphia. 

Fronting upon the east channel are the 
pretty cottages built by B. W. Wrenn, of Sa- 
vannah, and those of A. E. Kilby, of Car- 
thage; E. H. Myers, of Carthage; C. W. Sikes, 
of Philadelphia, N. Y.; A. J. Chester, of Al- 
bany ; Mrs. Samuel Branaugh, of Carthage; 
Mrs. E. A. Perrine, of New York ; Mrs. H. H. 
Mills, of Syracuse, and Mrs. Mary D. Kin- 
mouth, of Hamilton, N. Y. 

C. S. Ball, of Syracuse, Robert Andress, 
Mrs. Denny, of Watertown, and some others, 
have cottages upon the inland avenues of the 
island. 

The association controlling Round Island 
and the Frontenac Hotel is composed of A. 
C. Belden, President; Chas. A. Johnson, 
Vice-President; Chas. A. Myers, Secretary. 
These gentlemen are trustees, together with 
Hubert Van Wagenen, Jacob Hays, E. D. 
Dickinson and Frank H. Taylor. 



THE CHIPPEWA YACHT CLUB. 



|AS organized in 1895. Its location is 
indicated by its name, and its races 
and sailing bouts are usually held in Chippewa 
Bay, some ten miles below Alexandria Bay, 
a region fast coming into favorable notice. 
Many fine improvements have been made 
there, and more are in contemplation. The 
officers of this yacht club for 1895 are: Com- 
modore, Hon, George Hall; Vice-Commodore, 
James G. Knap; Secretary and Treasurer, 



John E. Bell; Measurers, S. Gilbert Averell, 
A. R. Porte, W. H. Post. The Executive 
Committee are the Commodore, Vice-Com- 
modore, the Secretary-Treasurer, A. R. Porte 
and John C. Howard. The Regatta Com- 
mittee are D. H. Lyon, Frank Chapman and 
E. L. Strong. 

List of Members. — Hon. George Hall, James G. 
Knap, John E. Bell, S. Gilbert Averell, A. R. Porte, 
Capt. Frank Chapman, D. H. Lyon, Edward L. 



8o 



A SOUVENIR OF THE ST. LAWRENCE RIVER. 



Strong, Wm. H. Post, Charles P. Lyon, John C. 
Howard, J. Y. Chapin, A. K. Strong, Dr. J. R. 
Dickson, Geo. B. Shepard, T. F. Strong, Dr. J. H. 
Bro%vnlow, Chas. O. R. Bell, John A. Seely, Dr. 
Willard N. Bell, G. S. Dorvvin, S. W. Wilson, E. C. 
J. Smith, Louis Hasbrouck, A. R. Herriman, George 
F. Darrow, S. H. Gardinier, H. A. Lord, E. F. 
Seymour, H. F. James, Levi Hasbrouck, Col. E. C. 
James, Mrs. R. A. Chapman, Dr. S. E. Brown, Jas. 
.R. Bill, Philip B. Hasbrouck, all of Ogdensburg; 
Ford Jones, Brockville, Ont.; Elmer S. Jones, Brock- 
ville, Ont.; George Clayes, Brockville, Ont.; Frank 
Clayes, Brockville, Ont.; E. H. Bisset, Brockville, 
Ont.; R. W. Travers, Brockville, Ont.; N. Gilbert, 
Brockville, Ont.; L P. Wiser, Prescott, Ont.; Wm. 



L. Webster, New York; W. H. Hutchinson, New 
York; H. A. McGruer, New York; Lewis Wallace, 
New York; Lester Wallace, New York; John 
McGruer, New York; W. W. Jackson, New York; 
M. V. Brokaw, New York; C. M. Englis, New 
York; Wm. Taylor, New York; Joseph M. Knap, 
New York; Edgar D. Knap, New York; J. Day 
Knap, New York; Henry Chapman, Morristown, 
N. Y.; W. F. Sudds, Gouverneur, N. Y.; J. B. 
Preston, Gouverneur, N. Y.; Henry Sudds, Gouver- 
neur, N. Y.; C. B. Orcutt, Elizabeth, N. J.; Clinton 
McKenzie, Elizabeth, N. J. ; Mrs. Clinton McKenzie, 
Elizabeth, N. J.; Percy McKenzie, Elizabeth, N. J.; 
S. S. Thompson, Elizabeth, N. J.; Dr. F. R. Bailey, 
Elizabeth, N.J.; Dr. W.J. Herriman, Rochester, N.Y. 



COOPER'S "PATHFINDER" AND STATION ISLAND. 



/^THE reader has probably read Cooper's 
^ thrilling tale of " The Pathfinder." He 
locates the main incidents of the tale at what 
he calls "Station Island," but does not at- 
tempt to locate the exact spot, save that it was 
among the islands of the St. Lawrence archi- 
pelago. But he relates some historical facts 
connected with his island, and leaves but little 
doubt that it was one of those now designated 
as the " Admiralty Group " situated in the 
Canada channel, above Gananoque. 

The time described was during the French 
and English war of 1755-60. At that time 
the English held Oswego, while the French had 
control of the lakes, with a strong fort at 
Frontenac, now Kingston, and a detachment 
at Gananoque. The French received their 
supplies from Montreal in batteaux, which 
came up the river in detachments, numbering 
ten or more batteaux each. The English kept 
spies on the lookout for the arrival of these 
convoys of stores and provisions with a view 
to their capture. To that end " Station 
Island " had been fixed upon as a suitable 
place for a rendezvous from which to waylay 
the expected fleet of batteaux. 

Now what are the historical facts? First, 
the French posts were supplied from Montreal 
by means of batteaux; second, the British 



troops attempted to, and did at various times, 
capture some of these batteaux, with their 
stores; third, that the British had some hiding 
place among the islands, from which they sal- 
lied forth and made their captures, if possible. 
Now it is evident that this very group of 
islands would be the one chosen for such a 
hiding place for several reasons. First, it was 
nearer Oswego; second, the chances of recap- 
ture were lessened; third, the opportunity of 
watching the approach of a fleet of batteaux 
unseen. If the hiding place had been chosen 
in the Lower or Naval group, the chances of 
a recapture would have been materially in- 
creased. Now how was " Station Island " 
situated ? So that a lookout could be kept on 
the river below ; so that the French post on 
the main land could be watched; so that the 
island itself cotild hardly be distinguished 
from those by which it was surrounded. One 
island in this group fulfills the conditions, and 
there is not another among all the Thousand 
Islands that does; and hence the presumption 
that the island is here, and that it borders on 
Bostwick channel. It is not possible to locate 
the exact island, but all considerations point 
to one of the Admiralty group as the one 
designated by Cooper, and it was certainly in 
the Canadian channel. 




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A GLANCE AT CLAYTON. 



8i 



A GLANCE AT CLAYTON. 



./^ROM an unimportant village for many 
1 years, Clayton, through its being the 

river terminus of the R. W. & O. R. R. sys- 
tem, has become a town of frequent mention, 
and its history must surely be interwoven into 
any story that treats of the St. Lawrence 
archipelago — for it stands directly in the 
midst of the best fishing 
grounds, fronting the river at 
a spot of peculiar loveliness, 
and right in the eye of the 
beholder looms up the most 
beautiful chateau upon the 
whole stream — -a spot of such 
natural beauty as well as of 
artistic adornment that its su- 
perior is not often met with in 
this country — actually rival- 
ing some of the most renowned 
villas upon the " wide and 
winding Rhine." The mag- 
nificent St. Lawrence here 
appears more like a lake, with 
wooded shores and far-away 
vistas which reveal other beauties. Here the 
" rush and dash from Niagara's leap " and 
Ontario's wide expanse are subdued to nar- 
rower limits, inviting, entrancing, complete. 

Clayton has excellent schools, fine churches, 
an unusually enlightened and "up to date" 
population, superior hotels — one of them, the 
Walton, a very old and always well-kept estab- 
lishment — a fair local trade that calls for 
good stores and the usual accommodations of 
a river town, including boat-building facilities 
and good wharves for handling freight and 
passengers. Less than an hundred years ago 
the site where Clayton stands was an unbroken 
wilderness — a region too insignificant to pos- 
sess even a name. A creek and bay form a 
natural boundary, and in the year 1802 a Mr. 
Bartlett built a log house for himself and 
family about half a mile from the mouth of 
the creek. The place selected was near a 
precipitous bluff that attains in one place an 



altitude of nearly 100 feet. This was the first 
building in what is now the town of Clayton. 
One year later a French Canadian erected 
a rude hut on the opposite side of the creek, 
which he occupied alone. He subsisted 
wholly by hunting and trapping on the creek, 
which then abounded in game. During the 



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I^Si 


^^^'^^ -*^»|BBBI 



MRS. CARLISLE S COTTAGE, GRENNELL PARK. 

winter of the same year a severe storm came 
on. As no smoke arose from the lone hut on 
the other side of the creek, the Bartletts made 
a search, but no trace of the Frenchman could 
be found. The following spring his body 
was found and buried beneath the dark cedars 
that lined the banks of the creek. The 
Frenchman gave his name to the locality, 
which was called " French creek " for many 
years. 

Time passed on, nothing breaking, the 
silence of the woods until the commencement 
of hostilities in the war of 1812. 

At that time the whole line of frontier, from 
Oswego to St. Regis, a distance of over 250 
miles, was placed under the military command 
of Jacob Brown. One November afternoon 
in 1813, when an American force with a small 
flotilla were nearing French Creek, they were 
attacked by the British. Capt. McPherson, 
of the American company, took possession of 



82 



A SOUVENIR OF THE ST. LAWRENCE RIVER. 




the high bluff near Bartlett's clearing, and re- 
turned the enemy's fire with American spirit, 
quickly repulsing them. A second attempt 
was made by the British, but with no better 
result. Three new-made graves indicated 
the burial places of the martyrs of the fight, 
and the place was named "Bartlett's Point." 
A few years later a number of families 
located on the bay at the mouth of French 
creek, forming a small settlement. 

In 1823 a mail service was established, and 
the name of " Cornelia " was given the post- 
office. 

In 1 83 1 the present township was set off from 

the towns of Orleans and Lyme and named 

Clayton, in honor of J. M. Clayton, United 

States Senator from Delaware, a devoted Whig. 

The village had scarcely began to develop 

when it was regarded as possessed of facilities 

for an important business center. 

o The rafting business was started by Jesse 

5 Smith and E. G. Merick. Shortly after- 

u wards Merick & Fowler engaged in the busi- 

5 ness of ship building under the management 

g of John Oades. Some of the finest boats on 

2 the great lakes and river were constructed in 

the old shipyard at Clayton. 

o This was a great " boom " for the little 

g town. Streets were laid out and buildings 

^ sprang up on both sides of French creek. A 

rude stone bridge was constructed at its mouth 

to meet the demands of travel and trade. 

Enterprise was the prevailing spirit, and the 

interests of the town grew stronger with each 

returning year. 

A school was in progress, and an exhorter 
once a week warned the people against covet- 
ousness. When the little town emerged into 
the forties it could boast of thirty-two families, 
three stores, a school house, and post office. 
Thus we draw an accurate view of Clayton in 
its infancy, and from the present we may 
observe the fruits of its developement. 

The changing years have brought new in- 
terests and rapid growth. The elegant resi- 
dences of the town speak of refined taste, and 
its excellent school and five beautiful churches, 
indicate an intellectual people. As a place 
to permanently settle, it is unsurpassed for 



STEAM YACHTS FOR HIRE. 



83 



business facilities. The modern business 
blocks and suitable stores testify to a good 
patronage. The town has two reliable banks, 
the First National Bank and the Exchange 
Bank. 

Among the popular business people we name 
the following: H. F. Barker, C. E. Reese, 
James Johnston, Chas. Ellis, Wm. Clark, Jas. 
Hayes, H. F. Dewey, E. A. Burlingame, G. 
M. Hungerford, D. C. Porter, A. G. Holstein, 
G. E. & J. O. Thibault, W. H. Consaul, John 
Fpley, W. H. Thorpe, A. E. Wood, S. E. 
Howard, Mrs. A. Locklin, F. L. Hall, W. W. 
Hawes, A. Williams, J. F. Graves, M. Atwood, 
S. Breslow, Thos. Esselstyne, G. W. McCombs. 

H. S. Barker's and G. H. McKinley's busi- 
ness blocks are among the best in town; and 
Mr. McComb's novelty store is superior to 
any of its kind in Northern New York. One 
of the best bakeries in the county is managed 
by John Ross — a very active business man, 
a one-armed veteran. A very successful busi- 
ness man is G. M. Skinner, manufacturer of his 
trolling spoon, which is of national reputation. 

Capt. S. G. Johnston, ship builder, has 
been owner and builder of some of the most 
successful steam yachts on the river. The 
firm of Strough & Brooks, lumber merchants 
and contractors, carry on an extensive busi- 



ness. Both are reliable, active men, and their 
business is unusually prosperous. 

Wilbur & Wheelock are noted for modeling 
the daintiest and most artistic skiffs on the 
river, and they also keep a boat livery. 

As a summer resort Clayton ranks among 
the first. This is due to its beautiful situa- 
tion, the health-giving properties of its air, 
easy access to all points, and its being in the 
midst of the Thousand Islands. Its popu- 
larity increases every year. 

Among its first-class hotels are the Walton 
House, with its enviable reputation of lavish 
comfort and generous fare, and the Hubbard 
House, lately rebuilt. The spacious new 
Windsor, with its pleasant apartments and 
well-furnished tables, is first-class in all re- 
spects. Mr. and Mrs. Hawes are making new 
friends every year. 

The Hayes House and Pastime have ex- 
cellent tables and home-like comforts. 

Much more might be written, and Clayton 
really deserves a more extended description. 
But we must leave it, crowning its beauty 
with lovely Calumet, the elegant summer 
home of Chas. G. Emery, one of New York's 
millionaires, whose benevolence has deservidly 
given him the name of Clayton's benefactor. 

N. i\I. K. 



STEAM YACHTS FOR HIRE. 

INDEPENDENT of the many private yachts 
upon the river, doing service among the 
islands forming the St. Lawrence archipelago, 
we name the following in service at the close 
of 1895: 

The Captain Visger, Capt. Walter L. Visger; 
The Crescent, Capt. John Bolton; The Sophia, 
Capt. H. W. Visger; The Spry, Capt. Dingman; The 
loNE, Capt. Gifford Benson; The Massena, Capt. 
Dana; The Ada B., Capt. G. R. Brown; The Pas- 
time, Capt. Bertrand; The H. P. Bigelow, Capt. 
Thos. Comstock; The Edith May, Grand View 
Park Ferry; The Edgewood Ferry, by Andrew 
Thompson; The Sirius, Capt. Derian; The F. S. 
Layng, Capt. D. Wagoner; The Valletta, Capt. 
John Comstock; The Gen. W. B. Franklin, Capt. 
Fitz Hunt; The Juniata, Capt. A. C. Dukelin; The 
Minnie, Capt. Wm. Westcott; The Nettie, Capt. 



W. E. Smith; The Claude S., Capt. S. Griffin; The 
Olivia, Capt. C. Hunt; The Alert, Capt. G. Wil- 
son; The E. A. Van Horn, Capt. Jasper Ellis; The 
Junita, Capt. Rattray; The Little Mack, Capt. 
Hudson; Westminster Park Ferry, Capt. S. 
Reed. 



Besides the above, which run for hire, there 
are many very fine steam yachts owned by 
wealthy private parties. Among the finest of 
these is the yacht owned by Mr. Hayden, at 
Fairy Land, built by Herreshoff, doubtless 
the most costly yacht on the river. The 
Lotus Seeker, owned by Mr. Holden, at 
Thousand Island Park, is also a beautiful boat, 
and claimed to be the fastest on the river. 
The Captain Visger and the Sophia are 
both beautiful models, and are very fast. 



84 



A SOUVENIR OF THE ST. LAWRENCE RIVER. 



CAPT. ANDREW H. MILLER. 



Captain Miller, commanding the " Em- 
pire State," the largest steamer of the Thou- 
sand Island Steamboat Company, is one of the 
ablest and most highly respected of the 
steamer captains on the St. Lawrence. He 
was born at Cape Vincent May 9, 1844, and 
when 14 years of age began sailing with Capt. 
Colman Hinckley, Sr. From the river Capt. 
Miller went upon the lakes in the service of 
the Northern Transportation Company, of 
Cleveland, O., and continued in their employ 
seven years. When the civil war broke out 
he enlisted in the 20th N. Y. Cavalry, which 
went into the field under the command of 
Col. Newton B. Lord. In 1865, at the close 
of the war, and having been honorably dis- 
charged with his company, Capt. Miller re- 
turned to his home and was in the employ of 
the Merchants' Union Express Company for 
two years, 1866-67. He then again returned 
to his home and became once more a sailor 



on the great lakes until 1872, when he began 
to command one of the Thousand Island 
Steamboat Company's boats, and has been in 
the employ of that company as a commander 
for the past 22 years. 

This fact is an honorable test of Captain 
Miller's ability as a navigator, as well as of 
his integrity as a man. He is a careful sailor, 
takes no risks, and knows the Thousand 
Island archipelago as one' knows his own 
bedroom. He has been remarkably success- 
ful and stands at the head of his profession. 
He puts on no "airs," but he is a wholesome 
man to know, and has earned a fine reputa- 
tion upon the river for his ability and stead- 
fastness. In his 53d year, he is as active as 
at 30, and nothing happens upon the " Em- 
pire State " that escapes his watchful atten- 
tion. He is a model commander, and popular 
with the travelling public. His permanent 
home is in Kingston, Ont. 



CAPT. H. W. VISGER. 



This young sailor, commanding the steam- 
yacht "Sophia," is the son of the veteran river 
captain, E. W. Visger, so long and favorably 
known among the Thousand Islands, and the 
first to make excursions among them, in fact 
the one who first attempted to navigate what 
is known as the "Lost Channel." 

H. W. Visger was born at Richville, St. 
Lawrence county, N. Y., in 1857. His first 
steamboat experience was as engineer on the 
"Cygnet." He was captain of the "Island 
Wanderer" (now the " Island Belle") during 
1879-80-81-82. He bought the steamer "R. 
P. Flower" in 1883, and ran her successfully 
as a charter packet for several seasons. Dis- 
posing of her, he purchased the "C. M. Cross- 
man," which he sold in 1893 to Mr. H. R. 



Redfield, the wealthy Hartford banker. With 
an honorable ambition to keep pace with the 
times, and to show his visitors what could be 
done on the St. Lawrence, he built the steam, 
yacht "Sophia," conceded by all to be the 
finest boat for hire that sails the waters of the 
Thousand Island archipelago. This has 
proved a good venture, for the "Sophia," 
like her consort, the " Captain Visger," has 
sprung into a deserved popularity, being roomy, 
fast and new. The Visger family are thus 
demonstrating their superiority as navigators, 
as well as showing that the finest yachts can 
be built at Alexandria Bay. They deserve 
their success, for they have served the trav- 
elling public faithfully, and demonstrated their 
ability as builders. 



Those who read our descriptions of the St. 
Lawrence steamer captains will not fail to 
note that Clayton seems to be the natural 



MISS NELLIE M. KENDALL. 

habitat for sailors, and that four of these ves- 
sel captains are named Kendall — all good and 
honest river-men. We do not pretend to 



MISS NELLIE M. KENDALL. 



85 



vouch for the reason, but wherever you find 
sailors you find literary people. The lamented 
Dr. Holland was never so happy as when he 
was gathering inspiration for his grand liter- 
ary efforts by listening to the talk of the 
sailorraen and oarsmen at Alexandria Bay. 
He loved them well enough to start a fine 
library for their benefit, which was burned in 




MISS NELLIE M. KENDALL, 
Clayton, N. Y. 

the great fire at that place in 1894, and has 
never been replaced. At Clayton we have 
Mr. George H. Strough, a fine writer, but 
with his soul immersed in lumber ; and Mr. 
C. A. Shaver, the noted school superintend- 
ent, who handles a facile and graceful pen, 
but fools away part of his time on local poli- 
tics. These are men— plain, unpretending 
men, and for further illustration of these and 
their traits we refer the historical student to 
Haddock's Centennial History of Jefferson 
County, a work ably written, which cost two 
years of the author's valuable time, besides 
leaving him $2,000 in debt. 



But all this prelude is foreign to our pur- 
pose when we sat down to write. What we 
desired to say was that at Clayton may be 
found quite a natural growth of literary and 
artistic excellence as well as so much sailor 
ability. This literary taste we have found 
illustrated in Miss Nellie M. Kendall, sister 
to the handsome Kendall boys. She was 
born on Point Pleasant, in Clayton some 
twenty years ago, received the benefits of the 
excellent Clayton public schools, and as she 
belonged in a '• nest of brothers with a sisttr 
in it," she was spared the trials and hardships 
which came to them. She had the fields to 
roam in, the river to row over, the golden 
sunsets to admire, the beautiful and romantic 
scenery of the St. Lawrenee to enjoy. What 
wonder that from nature she looked up to 
Nature's God and received into her soul the 
inspiration to love all things good and beauti- 
ful. As years passed on, in a distant city she 
was permitted to enjoy associations with some 
of the best minds and purest hearts, and 
learned that there is no such thing as " cor- 
nering" the market of intelligence — that litera- 
ture is a well where all who are athirst may 
come and drink freely. Under such inspiring 
influences she learned to write easily and well, 
and so when the author of this book called 
for some one to write up Clayton and many 
of the individuals named herein, she came 
readily into the work and has done it well. 
We give a view of her face, which does not do 
her justice, for her countenance is full of ex- 
pression, as her form is full of grace and 
modesty. She is a native Clayton girl, and 
that is saying a good deal, for that vicinity 
has always been noted for its pretty girls and 
handsome sailors. We leave her in her 
pleasant home, 

"Near meadows white, where daisies grow, 
Near where St. Lawrence whispers low ; 
Near sylvan dells, where Nature smiles, 
Earth's paradise, the Thousand Isles." 

J. A. H. 



86 



A SOUVENIR OF THE ST. LAWRENCE RIVER. 



ON HISTORIC GROUND. 

(From the Congregationalist, Sept, 27, 1S94,) 



C HOULD an American Walter Scott arise 
^Si' he would find ample material iot a new 
series of Waverly novels in the historic associa- 
tions of the River St. Lawrence, He would 
find here mighty fortresses built by no human 
hands, castles made more secure by natural 
bulwarks than moat or barbican could make 
them, hidden bays in which a fleet might hide, 
channels three hundred feet deep winding be- 
tween wooded islands and secluded water- 
ways. Ellen's Isle, made famous by the 
Wizard of the North, is reproduced here in a 
hundred forms, and Loch Katrine has scores 
of rivals at our very door. 

We have our legends of battle and carnage, 
of valiant deeds by souls as heroic as those 
who wore the tartan and the plaid. We can 
point out a cavern hidden away beneath pre- 
cipitous rock on a secluded island, which has 
its romance of a maiden's devotion to her 
father hiding from bitter enemies seeking his 



life. To-day this Devil's Oven, if not as 
famous as the little island among the Tross- 
ach's, is often visited by thousands, and the 
heroism of the maiden recalled. 

The night attack on Deerfield, Mass., in 
1 704, for the rescue of the Bell, and the ter- 
rible massacre of Wyoming, were planned on 
one of these islands. Many of them have 
their tales of terror connected with the French 
and English and Indian wars. 

The name of Bonaparte is perpetuated by 
a charming lake not far away. The story of 
Joseph, the brother of the great Napoleon, 
and his career in Northern New York is as 
romantic as any in its history. 

Not far away, too, is the childhood home 
of the famous singer, Antoinette Sterling, the 
beauty of whose Christian character has not 
been exaggerated. We could go on with 
these illustrations ad libitum, but space for- 
bids. 



THE MEN I HAVE MET UPON THE GREAT RIVER. 

BY THOS. G. ALVORD, EX-LIEUT. -GOV. OF NEW YORK. 



/^ FRIEND has suggested that I could 
1 1 write a very interesting human history 
of the river's rapid growth as a sportsman's 
paradise, a health-bearing, exhilarating, joy- 
inspiring refuge for tired and invalid human- 
ity. It will be readily conceded that in the 
performance of my task I must omit mention 
of many — for the many I have met are legion 
in number. And again, looking back over a 
period of more than forty years, I must un- 
avoidably fail to recall many, the mention of 
whose names would be of great interest. In 
order to do justice to my own city and to 
scores of other cities and towns, I would need 
but strike a few names from their annual 



directories, and then append the corrected' 
lists to this article, to enumerate '' The Men 
I Have Met upon the Great River." But to 
accomplish the undertaking in some accept- 
able way and within reasonable limits, I must 
cease apology and explanations, and proceed 
with my projected work, or I shall never 
finish it. 

I have already, in another chapter in this. 
Souvenir, had something to say of my first 
experience on the noble river, and I beg again 
to introduce to your notice the Rev. Dr. 
Bethune, the original fly-caster of the St.. 
Lawrence. Need I say that his profound 
learning, his acknowledged preeminence as ai 



THE MEN I HAVE MET UPON THE GREAT RIVER. 



87 



pulpit orator, and withal his kindly, open- 
hearted. Christian benevolence will remain a 
pleasant remembrance so long as the waters of 
his beloved river flow from the lakes to the sea. 

The Buttons, father and sons, who gave 
us the silken line and the polished rotating 
spoon, will be remembered as giving as much 
of music and harmony to their beloved pas- 
time as did their unequaled collection of 
drum and fife, cymbal and hautboy, fiddle 
and flute to their music-loving neighbors in 
" the pent up city," where their memory is 
ever green. 

Is it necessary to make aught of explanation 
in bringing Seth Green to your notice ? 
Not learned in schools, but an untiring, bright 
student of nature, he read as from an open 
book all the secrets of the finny tribe, over 
whom, by the consent of fishes and , men, he 
was the sole and undisputed ruler. Educated 
in the school of Nature, he was Nature's 
nobleman, with a heart beating kindly toward 
all things animate. 

Another noted individual is mixed in with 
my earliest recollections of the river. It is true 
I had never met him there, for he had visited 
the bay for the first and only time the year 
before my first arrival, but every time (and 
that was often) I tried the then super-excellent 
fishing-ground near the foot of Grenadier, I 
was very emphatically told where he had 
lunched when fishing, and he had lunched 
there so often that the natives, taking advan- 
tage of the fact that the much-lunched island 
lacked a name, solemnly decreed that from 
that time and forever thereafter it should be 
known as "Van Buren's Island." It may 
be that the man is forgotten, but I believe 
that it is a matter of history that he was in 
the cloudy and distant past once President of 
the United States; but, not being reelected, 
he went — -fishing. But once I did come 
near to fishing in his company. Having given 
up his "job" at Washington and retired to 
the Lindenwold shades of sleepy Kinderhook 
he, after "cradeling his buckwheat," would 
hie to the lovely Hudson, a short two miles 
away, to fish. I happened one day to be the 
guest of a gentleman who lived on the b?iy 



where "Matty" was wont to fish; and on 
that day, he at one end and I at the other of 
the bay — -both " Matty and myself — bobbed 
for white perch; each, I am happy to say, 
with great success. 

In the later days of my periodical sojourn 
with old man Grossman, there came thither 
two of our country's most distinguished men 
on their way to the haunts of the princely 
salmon of the Sauguenay, pausing here for a 
few days to tempt the springy, cunning, sport- 
creating bass of the St. Lawrence. Theirs 
was a friendship at that time (somewhat 
clouded in later years) like that of Damon 
and Pythias. Utterly unlike in temperament, 
manners and action, they were both, I sin- 
cerely believe, a unit in their unselfish, power- 
ful devotion to the best interests of their coun- 
try in her hour of sorest trial and direst need. 
If in RoscoE CoNKLiNG, that stubborn, self- 
will, uncontrollable temper, never-dyingenmity 
to all who dared oppose his will, had been 
tempered and softened by the suave, courtly 
and conciliatory manners and tact of Chester 
A. Arthur — in fine, if the better qualities of 
each had been used to neutralize the failings 
of both, it would have added increased weight 
to their great deeds patriotically done to save 
the Nation's life. Humanity is frail, never 
perfect; but in the world's picture of great men 
the heads of Conkling and Arthur will 
loom up as did that of Saul among the prophets. 

In the last year of my annually recurring 
stay at Alexandria Bay I met and fraternized 
with William J. Skinner, Gen. Benjamin F. 
Bruce and Franklin A. Alberger, the three 
Canal Commissioners of the State, and in 
their company Nathaniel S. Benton, then 
and for twelve years Auditor of the Canal 
Department, who had also during his long 
and busy life well and worthily discharged the 
duties of Surrogate, State Senator, United 
States Attorney for ten years. County Judge 
and Secretary of State. While they were 
ostensibly fishing, they were really weighing 
and measuring the probabilities of the success 
of an attempt of the mighty river to deflect to 
its own channel on its way to the ocean, the 
rapidly growing tonnage of the boundless 



88 



A SOUVENIR OF THE. ST. LAWRENCE RIVER. 



West, and to steal it away from our canals — 
those magnificent artificial waterways, alike the 
glory of the State and the wonder of the 
world, then under their official care. Skinner 
proposed that above where the Great River 
took its primal leap in its heedless flight o'er 
rocky barrier and through mountain gorge in 
its mad haste to meet the sea, to swerve the 
mighty flow of its great body of waters to the 
valley of that other Great River the incom- 
parable Hudson ; but Bruce and Alberger, 
with the potent aid of Benton, rolled the 
mighty cloud-piercing peaks of the Adiron- 
dacks in his pathway, and sadly and reluc- 
tantly Skinner abandoned the attempt. They 
finally departed with the satisfying belief that 
Nature had reared insurmountable barriers to 
the accomplishment of the river's dream of 
victory. Charon's boat has long since ferried 
them all across the dark stream, all too soon 
for them to know that men of their own blood 
pull down mountains and fill up seas with 
nature's forces tamed to their bidding. Already 
that growing city standing at the head of the 
greatest body of inland waters known to the 
world, demands and will have an unbroken 
waterway to the earth-encircling oceans. 
Proctor Knott, with burning eloquence, in- 
tentionally sarcastic, but truly prophetic, has 
made enduring fame for Duluth, its own great 
opportunities, coupled with its determined 
push and energy, compliment — aye, accentu- 
ate his unintentioned prediction. Our blood 
cousins and friendly rivals over the border, 
unstintedly aided from the overflowing coffers 
of the grand old Mother across the sea, are 
already deeping and widening the channel 
and curbing the rush of the mighty river, 
building with its own stone and filling with its 
own water the gigantic steps overcoming the 
elevation from the Atlantic to the Great Lakes, 
and soon shall we view floating easily past our 
shores the mammonth freight-bearing ships of 
the world, laden with cargoes at the elevator- 
docks of Duluth, 2,000 miles inland from the 
western shore of the Atlantic, to be discharged 
unbroken at the distant ports of Europe, an- 
other 3,000 miles away from where inland flow 
and ocean tide meet to greet its coming. 



In company with the Commissioners, and 
often thereafter, we joyfully welcomed the 
pleasant companion, skilled angler and accom- 
plished clerk of Mr. Skinner, Mr. Hopkins, 
of Little Falls, occasionally accompanied by 
his worthy brothers in unity, Birch and La- 
DtjE, whose names and merited fame in those 
olden days scorned to be bound by the nar- 
row valley of the bloody Mohawk. Wright, 
the story teller of Geneva, the Jefferson county 
wit, and Walrath, the terrible joker of 
Oneida, both good men and true, sometime 
Division Commanders on the Erie, have been 
met sounding the depth and measuring the 
breadth of its giant rival, the St. Lawrence. 

In 1866 I changed my base, for at this time 
the habitat of the desirable game-fish seemed 
to have moved up stream, so that the boys of 
the Burg had to pull against the current of 
Wellesly Island in order to successfully com- 
pete with their Clayton rivals; at Clayton 
there were then two notable caravanseries, 
the Hubbard and the Walton, and without 
premeditation I dropped into the Hubbard, 
where for eleven years I was a summer fixture. 
Permit me to say here that both houses had 
good and well-deserved reputations, enhanced 
by the fact that the genial hosts were friends 
not rivals, and in its best sense friends of the 
guests of both; a favor (often offered) asked 
by the guest of one at the hands of the other, 
was met and granted promptly and cordially. 
I but voice the sincerely deep regret of their 
army of friends at their untimely taking off, . 
and bespeak for their brave widows the kindly 
and bounteous support of all those who knew 
and esteemed their departed husbands. Mrs. 
Johnson is yet actively engaged in the care of 
the Walton, the grand property left her by her 
husband ; and one who has seen her and re- 
calls the fact that she was a neice of General 
William H. Angel, the broadest man Clay- 
ton ever knew, will not fail to gladly come 
within the charmed circle of her kindly care 
and elegant personality. 

About this period began the idea of island 
ownership and summer cottage; among the 
first to adventure was a broker from New York, 
Eugene A. Robinson, who expended money 




THOMAS G. ALVORD. 



THE MEN I HAVE MET UPON THE GREAT RIVER. 



89 



freely on his island in grading and docking 
and the erection of a commodious and roomy 
mansion. He flourished for a time, an erratic 
meteor athwart the island sky, but at last the 
gravitation of his own errors brought him, 
burnt out and exhausted, down to earth. 

One of my esteemed colleagues in the halls 
of legislation, and later, an honored represent- 
ative of his district in Congress, E. Kirk 
Hart, of Orleans, built himself at an early 
day, an imposing mansion facing Alexandria. 

I have sailed and angled on the water and 
often lunched on the green-sward of an island 
in the company of the world-renowned sculp- 
tor, R. H. Park. His more recently reported 
social standing, if true, leaves his artist fame 
his only claim for recollection. 

I must occasionally bunch the men I have 
met on the river, and generalize their good 
points, else I will be unable to enumerate a 
tithe of the most worthy ; so permit me to 
say that at Albany "as colleagues," and on 
the noble stream that marks the northwestern 
bounds of their county " as friends " I have 
met Hon. William Dewey, Hon. William 

BUTTERFIELD, JAMES JOHNSTON, Col. W. W. 

Enos, Hon. George E. Yost, Hon. Chas. 
R. Skinner, Hon. Henry Spicer, Hon. 
William M. Thomson and Hon. John D. 
Ellis, representatives of the County of Jef- 
ferson. In the role of law-makers of the 
State, I pronounce them all to have been 
faithful, capable and honest in the discharge 
of their official duties. We always meet with 
smiles of welcome and with hearty handshake. 
Some of them have been called, and have not 
been found wanting in the faithful and worthy 
discharge of other public duties. 

It would seem proper in this connection to 
mention others of my fellow-legislators who 
renewed and strengthened the friendship be- 
gun at Albany by kindly greeting and min- 
gled pleasures on the peaceful islands of the St. 
Lawrence : Van Horn, Van Valkenburgh 
and Low followed down, from Niagara's col- 
losal leap, her angry waters, until, peaceful 
and quiet, they gently laved the shores of the 
many island-gems of the Great River; Burns 
and DuGuiD, of Onondaga, the " TWO 



Charlies," Baker, of Monroe, and Chick- 
ERiNG, of Lewis ; Warner Miller, of Her- 
kimer ; CoNGDON, of Cattaraugus ; A. X. 
Parker, of St. Lawrence ; A. B. Hepburn, 
of the same county ; Mooers, of Clinton, and 
Kern, of Madison. All these may well be 
proud of their public records. They have 
each enjoyed with me innocent sport in the 
balmy air of the River of Rivers. 

A prominent figure on the river for many 
years was Theodore S. Faxton. I first 
knew him in my boyhood-days, as one of that 
coterie of brainy men — Parker, Butter- 
field, Childs and Faxton — controlling in 
the office or from the driver's box those won- 
derful lines of post-coaches which radiated 
from Utica, reaching East, West, North and 
South, the uttermost parts of our noble State, 
just then emerging from a state of nature into 
an active, thriving, energetic Commonwealth 
of civilization and progress. Theodore S. 
Faxton was a prominent factor in this march 
of progress, keeping pace with the onward 
step ; from the position of an humble stage- 
driver, he reached the higher rounds of life's 
ladder, dying universally honored and deeply 
mourned. 

In marked contrast, there was another well- 
known Utican, a frequent and ever-welcome 
visitor ; few in the State are ignorant of the 
name and fame of Ammi D. Barbour. For 
many years, as soon as the halls of legislation 
were opened to the annual inrush of the peo- 
ple's servants, Barbour, seeking no certificate 
from an avowed constituency, followed in 
their wake and quietly, from choice, too^ his 
stand "outside but close up to the bulwarks" 
— a cool, level-headed mind-reader, with a 
persuasively eloquent tongue and a well-lined 
pocket, he forced upon the ignorant or lucre- 
loving representative the course which, not 
perhaps leading to glory, would certainly be 
to the " material " profit of the legislator ; 
active and efficient in the ranks, he was early 
made his chief of staff by General Tweed, and 
finally became the undisputed King of the 
Lobby. Apart from his discreditable calling, 
Barbour was a man entertaining and inter- 
esting ; he was the best posted of all others 



90 



A SOUVENIR OF THE ST. LAWRENCE RIVER. 



on the political history of parties as well as 
the inner character of politicians, and he had 
the rare faculty of an easy and pleasant re- 
cital. Above all else, in private life he was 
respected and esteemed by his neighbors as 
upright, honest and correct in his family and 
social relations and business dealings. He 
was an enthusiastic angler, but never wooed 
the finny people except his worthy wife and 
favorite grandson enhanced his enjoyment by 
their presence and participation. 

I have met, with great pleasure and intel- 
lectual profit, Judges of every grade, who, 
hailing their vacation with the hilarity and 
abandon of the school boy, have hastened to 
doff the ermine, and donning the well-worn 
habiliments of secular days, concealing the 
dignified brow beneath the broad-brimmed 
palm-leaf, have sought the balmy air and cool 
waters of the Great River to recuperate their 
jaded minds and weary bodies. First, in 
strict compliance with legal rule, and in due 
order of judicial precedents, we welcome, 
marching forward, hand clasped in hand, those 
two inseparable disciples of Walton, Chief 
Judges Andrews and Ruger, whose names 
are written on a more enduring scroll than 
this fleeting note. I refrain from marring, 
by any attempt of mine, to laud their fame. 
We have met the pleasant countenances of 
Calvin E. Pratt and his able and eccentric 
namesake, Daniel. They each worthily rep- 
resent the honor, dignity and learning of the 
Supreme Court, but they are boys again as 
they dart in and out, around and about, the 
rock-bound and grass-covered islands of the 
Great River. 

I must not forget that there resides in the 
Summer days, in his tasteful cottage erected 
on consecrated ground — he would select no 
other — my fellow townsman and friend, 
George N. Kennedy. He needs no eulogy 
at my hands, for he is proving for himself, by 
his untiring industry and acknowledged pre- 
eminence at the bar, the folly of that legisla- 
tive dictum, "that a man's ability and power 
for intellectual work and honorable toil ceases 
at the age of seventy years." 

I recall two other gentlemen of this grade 



of judges — one still in harness — both in de- 
served public esteem, whose pleasant smile 
and friendly grip have been seen and felt on 
the waters of the St. Lawrence, Charles 
Mason and Pardon C. Willi.ams. It was 
here that Peter B. McLennan acquired 
that calm mind and sound judgment marking 
his course on the bench to-day. 

As County Judge and a colleague in the 
Constitutional Convention of '67-8, Member 
of Congress, Secretary of State and State 
Senator, the mere recital of his official honors 
stamp Homer A. Nelson, of Dutchess, as an 
able and trusted public man, and I can testify 
that he was a keen and successful angler, and, 
by natural sequence, a polished gentleman. 
Jerome Fuller, of Monroe, was another 
fellow member in the Convention of '67-8, 
and the recital of his official positions, all 
filled ably and well, are sufficient testimony 
of his acknowledged worth and character. 
He has filled the additional positions of County 
Judge of Monroe, Territorial Judge of Min- 
nesota, Member of Assembly and State Sena- 
tor, as well as that of successful angler on the 
bonny St. Lawrence. The legal learning, 
sound judgment and righteous administration 
of justice which marked the judicial lives of 
Judges Van Vorst, of New York, and Smith, 
of Cortland, were never lessened by their 
keen appreciation and enjoyment of the un- 
equaled attraction of our summer paradise. 

Last, but not least, comes the beaming face 
of that true hearted and broad minded son of 
Madison, once its honored Judge, Chas. L. 
Kennedy. 

I had firmly resolved early in my life on 
the river that whenever the opportunity of- 
fered to suit my taste and not wholly empty 
my pocket, I would 

" Be monarch of all I surveyed, 
With none my right to dispute ; 
From the center all around to the sea, 
The lord of the fowl and the brute " — 

in the shape of an island in the St. Lawrence. 
My eye always rested lovingly and hopefully 
on an island in the broad channel immediately 
opposite to and about one-half mile dis- 
tant from the docks of Clayton. In the 



THE MEN I HAVE MET UPON THE GREAT RIVER. 



91 



" n.ithe directory" it had been christened 
" shot Bag " to keep company with a near-by 
island and islet called respectively " Powder 
Horn " and " Cap Box," each so designated 
from its fancied resemblance to one of these 
necessary appendages to the shot gun. I early 
became acquainted with the owner, a gentle- 
man by the name of Lawrence, a successful 
hat, cap and fur dealer in the city of New York. 
By the way, it might as well be noted right 
here, that he was an accomplished fly-caster, 
his daily catch of beauties being seldom sec- 
ond in number in the friendly struggle of the 
jovial anglers for preeminence. A pleasant, 
genial companion, he is gone never to return, 
but he is not forgotten. To return to my 
island. For a number of years I was advised 
that it was not for sale, and other spots were 
urged upon my attention, but I still hoped for 
my first choice, and finally declining health 
induced my friend to make me a proposition 
to part with it at the price of $400. At 
length, confirmed in his own belief by the 
judgment of others whom he considered ex- 
perts, that the island would measure at least 
four acres, he closed the deal with myself and 
son-in-law, James A. Cheney, at $100 per 
acre ; and when the survey demonstrated that 
$170 paid for i 70-100 of an acre (the area 
of the island), with great disappointment, 
somewhat forcibly expressed, but with unhesi- 
tating adherence to his pledged word, the 
owner executed the deed of transfer. In 
family convention — from which I was care- 
fully excluded — the name of "Shot Bag" 
was dropped, and the newly-acquired summer 
home was rechristened " Governor's Island." 
It was never under any '' government," but 
the denizens, adults and children alike, took 
in health, happiness and all edibles within 
reach. There the cannon roared, the fiags 
waved, the beacons shone, not with hostile 
intent, but as a cordial welcome to the com- 
ing, and a kindly farewell to the departing 
friend. These pleasant days covered seven- 
teen joyous summers. That island is one of 
the brightest gems that adorn the water-encir- 
cled diadem of the Great River. It has now 
fallen under the dominion of one who, with 



rare taste and skill combined with a judicious 
expenditure of wealth, is constantly adding 
new attractions to the wonderful beauties of 
America's peerless summer resort. A hearty 
welcome to Charles G. Emery. Others 
have met him on the Great River, and we all 
trust that many happy summers still await 
him on its restful bosom. 

We have not deserted the river of our love 
and oui- pride ; but, a little nearer its source, 
on a projecting point on old Grindstone — its 
primary rocks still showing the deep scars of 
the Glacial Period — " Lindenwold " displays 
its unmatched beauties, and the old starry flag 
of "Governor's Island," undimmed, waves 
over it, and the doors of the same modest but 
roomy cottage, stand wide open to all friends. 

Excuse this apparently wide departure 
from the original text. It was partly necessi- 
tated as a means by which to bring into de- 
served notice my friends Lawrence and 
Emery, and partly to authorize the use of 
my well-filled cottage registry, containing the 
names of "men I had met upon the Great 
River," thus rejuvenating a failing memory 
and rescuing from oblivion the river history 
of many who should not be forgotten. 

The Rev. Dr. Reese, of Albany, was first 
met on the river, on the inside of St. John's 
Island, fighting manfully for and rejoicing over 
the capture of his first muskalonge, a beauty 
of over thirty pounds in weight; the occasion 
made us fellows, and began (for me) a pleasant 
acquaintance, renewed almost yearly for many 
summers past. This eloquent divine is ever 
welcome to Clayton, for he never fails to in- 
terest crowded audiences from the local pulpit 
on the appointed rest-days from secular labor. 
The Doctor is, like all good anglers, whole- 
souled, genial and an exceedingly interesting 
raconteur. 

The Rev. Dr. Calthrop, hailing from the 
Central City, fulfilling strictly and conscien- 
tiously his clerical duties, figures also as astrono- 
mer, expert, and peerless billiardist and chess- 
player, and excels in each. While at home 
he (rather too often) reads from the Sun, dire 
storm, destructive blizzard, drenching rain or 
parching drouth, his presence in the valley of 



92 



A SOUVENIR OF THE ST. LAWRENCE RIVER. 



the St. Lawrence always insures us beautiful 
sun-shine, placid waters, and abounding game 
for the angler. 

Once upon a time there came into the leg- 
islative halls from the home of Conkling, a 
worthy, honest man, who answered equally 
and readily to either of the familiar names of 
" Uncle David " or "Apple Barrel " Gray. 
His heart was set upon the passage of his only 
bill; it was a bill "To regulate the size of 
Apple Barrels." Passing through the ordeal 
of the appropriate committee, it came before 
the full body of the Assembly for discussion 
and amendment. The naughty boys of that 
body offered and adopted so many incompre- 
hensible and inconsistent amendments, that 
soon the honest old man did not know " where 
he was at." He appealed to me — to whom 
he had somehow been attracted — to solve the 
difficulty; I undertook the task, and soon the 
chairman announced, that " what was left of 
the bill was ordered to be engrossed for a 
third and final reading ; " with bulging eyes 
and bated breath. Uncle David asked " what 
was left ? " He was blandly informed, that 
the title was intact, but that the staves, hoops 
and heads of the barrel were missing. He 
was at first somewhat inclined to blame me for 
the catastrophy, but he was persuaded to visit 
me in my summer home, where the Lethean 
effect of the " pellucid " waters, and the electric 
shock transmitted to his body by the strike of 
the bass through the line attached to his sub- 
merged hook, cured him of all suspicion, and 
he became, and still is, one of my warmest 
friends; but I have occasionally heard him, 
when overcome with sleep, after a heavy lunch 
on a grass-covered island, mutter " My next 
Apple Barrel Bill shall have the hoops nailed 
on, and the heads nailed in, and I will attend 
to it myself." 

On the river for many years the most 
marked man to be met was a Mr. Selleck, 
from Newburgh. He was evidently a well edu- 
cated person, and as a conversationalist, enter- 
taining and instructive. Though totally blind 
he went everywhere without a guide, with a 
firm and assured step. He would walk from 
the hotel to the landing, and enter his boat 



without aid, and he seldom returned at night- 
fall with a smaller catch of the finny tribe 
than a fuU'average of the return captures of 
the day. Report said that in his business as 
designer and manufacturer of artistic and 
decorated furniture, he had but few equals and 
no superiors. 

I must not omit the military arm of the 
Nation. My register records their pi-esence 
singly and in squads, veteran corps, and regi- 
ments, Kentucky colonels and " high privates," 
with waving banners and martial music. They 
were peacefully inclined, however; the bivouac 
and battle-field were memories. They march 
erect and step proudly to the beat of the drum, 
save when tempting forage was uncovered; 
then "double quick" and rapid rush broke 
down all lines, and discipline was ignored. 
From the many (few can be named "Facile 
Princeps "), stands forth the gallant Slocum. 
Not on the battle field, but when white-robed 
peace smiled on the beloved country he fought 
to save, he laid him down to die. History 
will keep ever green the sacred memory of 
this patriot soldier. 

Make way for the heroic Sniper, leading to 
the peaceful banks and enticing islands of the 
Great River the few remaining veterans of 
that noble regiment, which — when three of its 
gallant number had fallen with the flag they 
died to save, raising that starry emblem from 
the dying hands of its last defender, bearing 
it proudly forward — he rallied to victory; the 
sods of the valley now press upon his breath- 
less form, but in the memory of the multitude 
who but knew him to love him, the patriotic 
deeds of General Gustavus Sniper will en- 
dure forever. 

The name of General Davies stands high 
on the roll of fame among the noted cavalry 
leaders in the late Civil AVar, his clarion voice 
and flashing sabre gave victory to his gallant 
troopers in many a well fought fray; he is the 
same general on the waters of the Great river; 
cool, determined, untiring, he strikes for the 
royal muskalonge, and the trophies that adorn 
his wigwam are large in size and great in 
number. 

The erect and noble form of the "Hero of 



THE MEN I HAVE MET UPON THE GREAT RIVER. 



93 



Fort Fisher " looms above the waves of his 
native river; General in war, he is now guar- 
dian in peaceful days, of that ark of safety, 
the Constitution of our fathers, he so bravely 
helped to rescue from destruction, and stands 
as St. Lawrence's sentinel on the ramparts of 
the Nation's capitol. Though an eye was 
cheerfully lost amid the scenes of battle, he 
still, with one, single to his duty, fights bravely 
to protect and perpetuate for his country the 
rights so nobly defended on many a bloody 
field. All honor and praise to General New- 
ton Martin Curtis. 

There is a '' VVylie " man, whose counte- 
nance" is a familar one on the long reaches and 
deep bays. Do not be deceived by surmising 
that the " D. D." which the name carries with 
it stands for " Doctor of Divinity." He is too 
wily and a little too wicked for that ; but he 
was a good soldier and loyal man when the 
nation needed good soldiers and loyal men to 
compel and perpetuate an unbroken Union, 
and he is well entitled to be called " General." 
The only bad mark on his character ever dis- 
covered was his attempt to carry off, on a 
wager, a basket of champagne, as the reward 
of the superiority of his catch (with his own 
unaided rod and reel), in the number of law- 
fully sized bass by one day's fishing, over that 
of an antagonist (bound by the same require- 
ments). He apparently won the match by a 
very narrow margin, and announced the vic- 
tory to his shouting comrades with wilder 
shouts than theirs. But a few hours of sober 
reflection brought swift repentance, and on 
bended knee he humbly confessed that a 
brother conspirator from one boat and a venal 
guide from another, with no regard for law- 
ful weight, had tumbled into his craft the 
larger number of his reputed victims, and he 
tearfully, but manfully, rolled into the cottage- 
door of his competitor, the coveted prize. 
He has been forgiven, and hopes are strong 
that by continued repentance of past deeds of 
wickedness and firm resolve of an honest fu- 
ture he may yet be allowed to write " D. D." 
as well in rear as in front of his patronymic, 
and thus wipe out forever any sinister mean- 
ing to the honored name of " Wylie." 



Seventeen years have passed away since 
William H. Vanderbilt and the lamented 
Webster Wagner came here to spy out the 
land. Both have passed to the " beyond." 
but their keen business eyes — we have reason 
to know — took in all the beauties and possi- 
bilities of the grand pamorama spread before 
their vision, and the fruits of that visit are 
clearly noticeable in the increased comfort 
and ease of access hither from all parts of the 
Union, and under the wise and able manage- 
ment of their successors this will not be 
abated, but improved and amplified. 

Not clothed in trappings of war but in the 
habiliments of peace, we look on the face and 
admire the soldierly bearing of one of the 
elite of that crack regiment. New York's only 
7th, Chris Wolf, an island-dweller and ever 
a welcome comrade. The quiet, unobtrusive 
Hicks, with pleasant wife and daughter, not 
only guards, but makes, with cow and 
chicken, homelike and enviable, the upper 
gate of our archipelago. 

Scarcely fifty years ago 1,500 of the Thou- 
sand Islands of this great river lay upon its 
glassy waters in the garb of Nature's clothing, 
save where, on the larger ones, blackened 
stumps marked the incipient effort of the 
husbandman or the ruthless swath of the 
wood-devouring steamer, then first invading 
the peaceful waters. To-day, in quiet bower 
and shady nook, on bold promontory or wide- 
spread lawn, in single sites and in varying 
groups, from lower Grenadier to upper Wolf, 
reaching as an outlying sentinel beyond the 
line where lake and river join, tiny cottage 
and palatial mansion mark an almost continu- 
ous city of grandeur and beauty — the im- 
posing Crossmon at one extremity, and the 
towering Frontenac midway to the deep On- 
tario, inclose many other gorgeous resting 
places as homes for the flitting sojourner. As 
the swift-darting inhabitants below the water's 
surface, so on its bosom in almost equal num- 
bers shoot hither and thither the ever-restless 
steamers — many at stated intervals on regular 
duty bound, many with banners flying and 
gladsome music, laden with the people from 
deserted town and village, breathing the 



94 



A SOUVENIR OF THE ST. LAWRENCE RIVER. 



balmy air and drinking in the gorgeous beau- 
ties of the Great River, as with twinkling feet 
and glad shout they greet its glories. The 
trim-built, lavishly-furnished, flag-enveloped, 
swift-running yachts, alive with their crews of 
summer residents, add to the wild carnival of 
pleasure and happiness, and human shout, 
shrill whistle, sharp-clanging bell and barbaric 
music drive the rightful owners of the waters, 
frightened and alarmed, to the lowest depths 
and darkest caves of their watery kingdom. 

Now many of these many men (and lovely 
women, too, God bless them!) "I have met 
upon the Great River." Time and space alike 
forbid a mere recital of their names; I must, 
therefore, be content with a brief notice of a 
few others who have been foremost, and who 
have not yet ceased their loving labors in 
■adding to Nature's wonderful work on this 
unequaled river. 

The widely-known and sincerely lamented 
scholar and scribe, the late Dr. Holland, is 
with us no longer ; but his warm love for his 
" Bonny Castle " has descended to his surviv- 
ing family, who still enjoy, and each returning 
season make more beautiful, the delightful 
spot he loved so well. 

The Haydens, Pullman, the large-hearted 
Browning, the coal king of the Lehigh valley, 
the denizens of Westminster Park, and many 
others, still intent upon gilding the refined 
gold of their incomparable Bay, all bear faces 
I have met upon the beautiful River. I have 
met many of the men who summer in assured 
safety and peaceful comfort under the Chris- 
tian banner of the itinerant Methodists; among 
them my home neighbors, none of whom need 
go from their Central City to find witnesses 
to their worthy and Christian character. 
(Judge Kennedy I have already named) 
Weeks, Holden, Penn, Lee, Sprague, and 
scores of others, are men I am proud to say 
" I have met upon the Great River." 

I even own up that I knew Sam Grinnell, 
when he pastured his cow on his island, now 
studded with many beautiful cottages, and 
joyously welcomed the thirsty dwellers on 
Prohibition-:, ooo-Island-Park to his choice 
dispensary of contraband whisky. 



Round Island is peopled with many worthy 
of notable mention. Across its head, facing 
the on-coming waters, stand four dwellings : 
First, the modest villa of Dr. Wheden, the 
pioneer of the island-dwellers, followed by 
Messrs. Hayes, Van Wagonen, and James J. 
Belden, ex-mayor and congressman, who, 
applying well-earned wealth with sound judg- 
ment and artistic taste to their work of pleas- 
ure, have erected houses of comfort and de- 
light, the very embodiment of the poet and 
the painter's dream of loveliness. Another 
chief of the Central City, Wm. B. Kirk, has 
applied a portion of his wealth to the adorn- 
ment of this beautiful island, and these have 
found willing comrades to aid in making this 
cosy hamlet a beauty spot on the Great River. 

As I pen these lines so many faces crowd 
upon my reviving memory, that my task must 
be abruptly closed or it will become endless. 
A few more of the multitude of those who de- 
serve recognition and I have done. 

No one who frequents the river can fail to 
know that always hilarious crowd, hailing from 
Albany, headed by Jim Story, John H. 
Quinby, and Charlie Gay. At home, staid, 
steady, model business men. On the river — 
never offensive — but full to the brim, of fun 
and frolic, good anglers and genial companions. 

There comes periodically to the river a quiet, 
unobtrusive but worthy and interesting gentle- 
man. It is said that " Good wine needs no 
Bush," but a troll on the water and a lunch 
on the shore are made more enjoyable and 
satisfying whenever Mr. "Bush," of Buffalo 
counts as one of the party. 

We entreat Lucius Moses to bring back to 
the river himself with his delightful family; 
we yearn to hear once more the swish of his 
wonderful cast, as the fly tempts the bass to 
strike " twenty yards away." 

In writing the name of Mr. Browning, of 
New York, there came back to me the re- 
membrance of his brother-in-law, Mr. Scott, 
who is an annual visitor, seldom failing a 
yearly return. Although a city man, he is 
old fashioned in dress and manners, though 
never other than a gentleman. Though easily 
approachable, he is naturally taciturn; an un- 



THE RIVER CAPTAINS. 



95 



tiring angler, wind and wave never staying 
him. One day near the head of Hemlock, he 
was at anchor still-fishing for bass; a good 
sized perch was hooked, and he rapidly drew 
him up, and was rendered almost helpless by 
the onrush of a thirty-pound muskalonge, 
striking for his dangling perch. The big 
fellow landed with the perch, in the boat, and 
with the aid of the guide was killed. After a 
few moments delay, S., recovered sufficiently 
to ejaculate "'Great Scott," the only words 
(the guide avers) that he uttered until he 
reached the dock at Clayton, three miles away. 

Clustered on and around the hoary head of 
old Grindstone, the Morgans and the Lov- 
ELLS, of New York, have brought refinement 
and artistic skill to adorn their summer homes, 
and in themselves have added acknowledged 
worth to the goodly society of our Summer City. 

It would be very wrong and unjust if the 
men and women who dwell in inclement win- 
ter as well as in gentle summer on the banks 
of this world-famed stream were not recorded 
among the throng of those " I have met upon 
the Great River." In all ranks and condi- 
tions among them, they are the hosts and 
helpers of their welcome summer visitors; 
kind, considerate, helpful, never exacting or 
mercenary, they are always ready and oblig- 



ing. Their character and conduct are in 

marked contrast with the reported greed, 

venality and robbery at other noted places of 

summer resort. I am glad to proclaim that I 

have met and have learned to respect and 

honor these constant dwellers in the valley of 

the Great River. 

If life and health are spared, I trust to meet 

many old and to greet many new faces in the 

coming years, enjoying renovated health and 

needed relaxation from the ills and cares of 

busy life amid the scenes of grandeur and 

beauty nowhere so sure to be found as " Upon 

the Great River." 

Thomas G. Alvord. 

Syracuse, March, 1895. 



We think no man or woman can rise up 
after reading Governor Alvord's unique and 
entirely unapproachable remarks upon the 
people he has met, without a better feeling 
towards all mankind, and a most grateful 
sense of appreciation of this honored man, 
whose green old age has met with no blight, 
and whose frosted head bears no possible in- 
dication of any frost of heart. With thousands 
who love him and revere his matchless ability, 
we reecho his own wish that he may yet be 
spared for many years to visit the Great River. 



THE RIVER CAPTAINS. 



^5lY reference to the pages in this book 
12/ devoted to pictures of men whom we 
have thought should be shown, the reader 
will find many captains of St. Lawrence 
steamers. We have tried to give portraits of 
them all, for they are a peculiarly deserving 
set of men, good sailors, mild in manner, and 
accommodating in disposition. Thes-= pictures 



have been procured from some of them un- 
willingly, and the short sketches of their lives 
we have worried out of them, sometimes by 
extreme urgency. They are really too modest 
for this progressive age, but we give them as 
they appear in every-day life, and we think 
them a fine looking lot of men. 



A BONAPARTE IN NORTHERN NEW YORK. 



[The following excellent article is not exactly history, though gerraain, and its insertion in this 
volume is considered proper and instructive because most of the people named were long ago residents of 
Cape Vincent, a town of many memories, which stands at the very head of those islands we are attempting 
to describe and to give their histories, as well as to make brief mention of those superior men who first 
settled on and near them, and were certainly the first to sound their praise and introduce them to the atten- 
tion and knowledge of the American people.] 



/^THE advent of Joseph Bonaparte, or Count 
^^ de Survilliers (as he desired to be known), 
into Northern New York and upon the St. 
Lawrence, is scarcely explainable without some 
reference by way of introduction to Count 
James Donatien Le Ray de Chaumont, who was 
the son of Count Donatien Le Ray, the intimate 
friend of Franklin and Adams, and Morris, 
and a devoted adherent to the fortunes of the 
United States, who in a time of the utmost 
need imperiled his great fortune by coming to 
our assistance. He it was who sent a ship- 
load of powder to Boston; who furnished 
clothing for La Fayette's army, and fitted out 
three vessels of war to join the fleet under 
Commodore Jean Paul Jones. 

Previous to the elevation of Joseph Bona- 
parte to the thrones, first of Naples and then 
of Spain, he and young Le Ray were students 
at the celebrated school of Juilly, near Paris; 
here their acquaintance ripened into an inti- 
macy which, although interrupted by succeed- 
ing events, did not wholly cease, and so we 
find it renewed at a time when the friendship 
of a Le Ray was not to be despised, even by 
a Bonaparte, though twice a king. The young 
Le Ray, intimate at his father's house with 
such men as Franklin, Adams and Morris, had 
early learned lessons of Republican wisdom, 
and understood how to sympathize with the 
infant States in their struggle for freedom. 
His intercourse with these gifted statesmen 



did much to perfect a character naturally 
superior, and of which an intimate acquaint- 
ance wrote in after years as follows: " He had 
a strong mind, great penetration, sound judg- 
ment, a warm and affectionate heart, and a 
noble soul. He was guided through life by a 
high and chivalrous integrity." It was related 
that on one occasion a difference arose between 
the elder Le Ray and Robert Morris, then at 
the court of France. An umpire was to be 
chosen, and Robert Morris at once selected 
Mr. Le Ray's own son; the case was stated, 
and a decision in favor of Mr. Morris was the 
result. The citizens of Jefferson and Lewis 
counties, N. Y., owe much of their prosperity 
to his enlightened and liberal management; 
and by the citizens of Jefferson county especi- 
ally he is affectionately remembered for his 
public-spirited improvements, his dignified 
and courteous demeanor, and the sympathy 
he never failed to express, not only in words, 
but practically, for whatever concerned the 
public welfare. He fully sympathized with 
all that his father did to aid the colonies in 
their struggle with Great Britain, and upon 
him it finally devolved to effect a settlement 
with them. It was a task of great difficulty. 
The depreciation of paper money, and the 
differing currencies of the States, were ob- 
stacles almost insurmountable. Tearing him- 
self from the seductions of the most elegant 
court in Europe, and from the near prospect 



A BONAPARTE IN NORTHERN NEW YORK. 



97 



of a brilliant marriage, he sailed for the United 
States, to distinguished citizens of which 
Franklin had given him letters; and yet, not- 
withstanding his talents and energy, strength- 
ened by all the influence of Franklin, and 
Morris, and Adams, it was not until 1780 that 
a settlement was effected ; just in time to save 
his father from a humiliating bankruptcy. 

While in the United States he became ac- 
quainted with two men who largely influenced 
his subsequent career, — Gouverneur Morris 
and Count de La Foret, Consul-General of 
France, — who induced him to make heavy 
purchases of land. In company with the 
latter, he purchased a large tract in Otsego 
county, and established as bis agent there 
Judge Cooper, father of the great novelist. 
With the former he made extensive pur- 
chases in Northern New York, and by reason 
of these purchases it was that Joseph Bona- 
parte came upon the scene. In 1790, young 
Le Ray became a naturalized citizen of the 
United States, and married the daughter of 
Charles Coxe, Esq., of New Jersey, returning 
to France the same year. Between that and 
1810, he had several times visited the United 
States ; returning to France in that year, he 
settled upon his estates in Touraine, and busied 
himself in settling his affairs in Northern New 
York. The last meeting for more than a 
decade between young Le Ray and Joseph 
Bonaparte, was on the occasion of the signing 
of the treaty between France and the United 
States at Morte Fontaine, September 30, 1800, 
at which time they dined together. Fifteen 
years later came the downfall of Napoleon, 
and with him that of his family. Hearing 
that Joseph was at Blois, M' Le Ray hastened 
to offer his friendship. He was warmly wel- 
comed, and the intimacy of former years was 
renewed. 

One day while at dinner, a train of wagons 
passed the window near which they were 
sitting. Joseph, turning to M. Le Ray, said: 
" Mon ami, I remember that you have spoken 
to me of your large possessions in the United 
States. Do you still hold them ? If so, I 
should like to exchange for a part of them 
some of the silver that I have in those wagons, 



which may be pillaged at any moment. Take 
four or five hundred thousand francs, and give 
me the equivalent in land." This M' Le Ray 
declined, saying: " It is impossible to make a 
bargain where I alone know the facts. " Oh," 
said Joseph, " I know you well, and I rely 
more upon your word than upon my own 
judgment." 

A bargain was soon entered into, the terms 
of which were, that for 200,000 francs the 
elder Le Ray would give Joseph Bonaparte a 
letter to his son Vincent, then in the United 
States, instructing him to show to the ex-king 
a certain tract ; when, if approved of by him 
after seeing it, the sale would be confirmed. 
If not approved, the money was to be returned. 
The bargain was consummated with a slight 
change in the terms of payment. 

Some writers have asserted that Joseph 
Bonaparte's farewell to France was an esca- 
pade ; but whether true or not, he reached 
the United States in 1815, and Northern New 
York in i8i8. Of his career in New Jersey 
and elsewhere, this account has nothing to do, 
as it proposes to deal with his affairs in 
Northern New York and not elsewhere, unless 
it may be incidentally. On arriving in the 
United States he assumed the title of Count 
de Survilliars, by which name and title only 
he desired to be known. His purchase in- 
cluded the greater part of the town of Diana, 
in Lewis county, together with portions of 
several towns in Jefferson county, lying prin- 
cipally in the valley of the Black River and on 
the shores of Lake Ontario and the St. Law- 
rence river; the whole amounting to 150,000 
acres, which was paid for in diamonds and 
silver. Subsequently, owing to the fact that 
diamonds had fallen to half their former value 
in market, other arrangements were entered 
into, and in 1820 the count accepted a tract 
of 26,840 acres, for which he paid $40,260. 

He now memorialized the Legislature of 
New York to grant him the privilege of hold- 
ing titles in his own name. In his memorial, 
he says: "Not being of the number of those 
who would wish to abandon this land of hospi- 
tality, where the best rights of man prevail, I 
am nevertheless bound to my own country by 



98 



A SOUVENIR OF THE ST. LAWRENCE RIVER, 



ties which misfortunes render sacred." The 
privilege solicited was granted by a special act, 
bearing date March 31, 1825. Having ac- 
quired his titles, the ex-king began to explore 
his possessions; and it is told of him that when- 
ever it was possible, he traveled in great state. 
Under any circumstances, his private secre- 
tary, M. Carot, his cook, butler, valet and 
page constituted his suite; these, with the ser- 
vants of his guests, of whom he usually enter- 
tained several, made up a train, which, in the 
eyes of the simple backwoodsmen of those days, 
formed a pageant long to be remembered. 
Those were the times when the old country 
tavern was in the ascendant ; and how to 
dispose of such a retinue, became at times a 
problem too intricate for the rural host to 
solve. 

On one occasion, when on his way to spend 
the winter in New York and Philadelphia, his 
train was unusually large, having for his guests, 
Count Pierre Franfois Real, who was Chef de 
Police under the Emperor, and who then lived 
at Cape Vincent, Jefferson county; Emmanuel 
Count de Grouchy and General Desfurneaux, 
who, with their attendants, were also going to 
the metropolis, together with several distin- 
guished gentlemen from Albany, who had been 
guests of Count Survilliers at Bonaparte lake. 
They halted in the evening at a well-known hos- 
telry in the Mohawk valley, kept by a sturdy old 
Dutchman. As was by no means uncommon 
among those who were in company with Count 
Survilliers, a night of revelry followed; a kingly 
revel, where the guests were served on silver 
by Parisian waiters. The choicest vintages 
were served in Venetian-cut glass, and the 
costliest teas and coffees in Sevres china. 
First, drinking to the idol of their hearts, him 
who was even then breaking his heart against 
the bars of St. Helena, and whom they seldom 
for a moment forgot, they gave way to amuse- 
ment and hilarity. Song and story followed 
in rapid succession, witticisms sparkled like 
the bead upon their champagne, while the 
worthy host, called here and there, often two 
ways at the same moment, was half crazed, 
and wholly bewildered. In the morning 
M. Carot, the Count's private seeretary, called 



upon the landlord to present his bill. This 
was a poser; never before in that house, had a 
bill of items been asked for, but the crisis had 
come, and it must be met; and so the worthy 
Boniface, groaning over the unwonted mental 
exertion required, set slowly about his task. 
Aided by the " good frouw," whose qualifica- 
tions as an accountant, were, if possible, fewer 
than his own, he finally, with much mental 
travail, produced a bill which seemed to meet 
the requirements; and with some trepidation 
in his manner, he presented it to M. Carot. 
It was a bill for $200. The astute secretary 
detected the exorbitant charges at a glance, 
and looked with dismay upon the final footing, 
the manifest result of an attempt to divide a 
large sum total among a few items only; the 
house as a matter of fact, having contributed 
but very little toward the entertainment. 

Noticing the look upon his secretary's face, 
Count Survilliers demanded to see the bill. 
It was handed to him, and thence ran the 
guantlet of the merry company, who, shouting 
with laughter at Mynheer's unique specimen 
of bookkeeping, nevertheless protested against 
his outrageous charges ; which, allowing him 
the highest possible prices for labor and sup- 
plies, would scarcely amount to $50. The 
bill was returned to the landlord, and the ex- 
orbitant charges pointed out ; in process of 
time an amended bill was brought in, which 
contained a very fairly itemized account 
amounting to $50, after which followed the 
crowning entry : " To making in mine house 

one d d fuss, $150," — thus triumphantly 

sustaining the original grand total. Saying 
" cheap enough, too," the ex-king ordered 
M. Carot, to settle the bill. For many years 
thereafter that same bill was in the possession 
of one of Albany's most distinguished citizens, 
who frequently exhibited it to his friends as a 
"model Mohawk-valley tavern bill." 

Count Survilliers made a number of im- 
provements in various parts of his domain, and 
expended money with a princely liberality, 
thereby benefiting many a poor man, who in 
those days would otherwise have handled 
money but rarely. At Natural Bridge, he 
erected a large framed house, with all the con- 



A BONAPARTE IN NORTHERN NEW YORK. 



99 



venient accessories of a gentleman's summer 
residence and furnished it elegantly at a great 
expense. Here, for several seasons, the ex- 
king kept opert house, and was visited at times 
by some of those whom, in his days of regal 
pomp and power, he had entertained at court 
in Naples and in Madrid. Among the more 
constant of his guests, however, were Count 
Real ; the Peugnet brothers, Louis, Hyacinthe 
and Theophilus; Louis, having been a captain 
in the Emperor's body guard, an officer of the 
corps d'elite; still wore the cross of the Legion 
d'Honneur, placed upon his breast by the Em- 
peror's own hand; General Rolland, Count 
Real's son-in-law Col. Jermoux, Camille 
Armand, and others, all living at Cape Vincent, 
where M. Le Ray had founded a prosperous 
village and erected a stately mansion, now the 
property of Mrs. Beaufort, and her sister. Miss 
Emeline Peugnet, daughters of Captain Louis 
Peugnet ; estimable, refined ladies are they, 
well known far beyond the bounds of their 
village-home. 

There are many circumstances which ren- 
der it probable that these re-unions, in which 
M. Le Ray was by no means the least honored 
guest, and which he often reciprocated by 
gathering the entire company under his own 
roof, either in his stately chateau at Le Rays- 
ville, or in his house at Cape Vincent, were 
for the purpose of discussing matters of much 
greater importance than disquisitions on mat- 
ters piscatorial, or the art of living ; although 
hunting and fishing was the ostensible object. 
The woods abounded in game, and the streams 
and the lakes with fish. A beautiful lake of 
some 1 200 acres area, abounding in the 
choicest varieties of fish, and forming a part 
of the Count's domain, was but a few miles 
from his mansion, at Natural Bridge, N. Y. 
It is a beautiful sheet of water, with bold and 
rocky shores, its surface sprinkled with island 
gems, — an archipelago in minature. On an 
eminence overlooking its shores the Count 
erected a commodious hunting lodge, and 
opened a road from the old State Turnpike 
to the lake, on which boats were launched and 
every possible convenience provided for both 
hunting and fishing, of which sports the 



Count was extremly fond; and yet, to use the 
phraseology of a man who worked on the 
building mentioned, and who is yet living at 
Natural Bridge: "They didn't seem to hunt 
and fish much a'ter all." This charming lake 
(Bonaparte, now named) is now the property 
of Hon. Joseph Pahud, a superior and most 
interesting gentleman, and he has erected a 
neat hotel there, a very paradise for anyone 
desiring rest, combined with fish and game. 

That a scheme was formed to rescue the 
Emperor from the custody of Sir Hudson 
Lowe, and spirit him away to the United 
States, there can now be no doubt. The 
French residents of Cape Vincent, after the 
news of Napoleon's death was received, did 
not hesitate to avow that such had been 
their purpose. A well-known American naval 
commander, whose reputation for courage, 
skill and daring, even to recklessness at times, 
could not be questioned, was to have aided 
the scheme; and with his help, they hoped to 
succeed. It is also highly probable that, in 
some way, the exiles on St. Helena were made 
aware of the efforts on foot to secure their 
liberation. A letter written by Count Ber- 
trand to Joseph Bonaparte on the death of 
the Emperor, after announcing the sad event, 
says of him: " The hope of leaving this dread- 
ful country often presented itself to his imagi- 
nation. Some newspaper articles added to, 
and excited our expectations. We sometimes 
fancied that we were on the eve of starting 
for America ; we read travels ; we made plans ; 
we arrived at your house ; we wandered over 
that great country, where alone we might 
hope to enjoy liberty. Vain hopes ! Vain 
projects ! which only made us doubly feel our 
misfortunes." 

That Count Real erected a house at Cape 
Vincent for the reception of his adored Chief, 
is so well known in that locality that it " goes 
without saying; " and also that during its erec- 
tion. Count Survilliers was oftener a visitor at 
Cape Vincent than at any other time. Then, 
too, his constant communication with this band 
of enthusiastic imperialists, and especially with 
Professor Pigeon, who was Private Secretary 
to Count Real, and who, no doubt, wrote every 



L.ofC. 



100 



A SOUVENIR OF THE ST. LAWRENCE RIVER. 



letter and every communication of whatever 
nature relating to their secret plans. 

It was Prof. Pigeon who took a vow never 
to cover his head while Napoleon was a pris- 
oner ; and notwithstanding the severity of the 
winters in Northern New York, he steadfastly 
adhered to his resolution until the death of 
the Emperor released him from his vow. 

During Joseph Bonaparte's last visit to 
Bonaparte Lake, a tragedy occurred that, for 
some time, threw a gloom over his daily life, 
which seemed impossible for him to shake off. 
Not far from Bonaparte Lake is Green Lake, 
a body of water not half the size of Bonaparte 
Lake, and as dismal, gloomy and repulsive as 
the other is delightful. Its shores are bold 
and rocky; and owing to a mass of fallen tim- 
ber, which forms an almost impenetrable 
cheveaux de frieze around it, it is very difficult 
of access. Not far from the water's edge, at 
a point where the rocky wall almost reaches 
it, is a cave so dark and dismal that it became 
known as the " Cave of the Sepulchre," a 
name which a subsequent occurrence served 
to establish more completely, if possible, than 
it was before. 

Among the attendants of the count, was a 
young Frenchman named Jean Vallois, who 
paid marked attention to the daughter of a 
French settler living in the vicinity. She was 
a beautiful girl, and it was not long before 
they were almost inseparable. It was espe- 
cially their delight to take a boat and row 
away together among the islands, or climb the 
rocks to find some new view on which to 
feast their eyes. Count Survilliers was him- 
self too fond of the fair sex to put any re- 
straint on the loves of his followers, and so 
the liaison went on uninterrupted until it be- 
came apparent to all that a climax was not far 
distant. One day the young people an- 
nounced their intention to visit Green Lake, 
which was but a short distance away. They 
were never seen again. Days lengthened into 
weeks, and weeks into months, and yet no 
trace of them was found. The woods were 
scoured far and wide in every direction, and 
the waters of Green Lake dragged in vain. 
Years sped on, and finally the old Frenchman 



and his wife died, and gradually the occur- 
rence faded from recollection. In 1S50 a 
party of hunters conceived the idea of explor- 
ing the Cave of the Sepulcher. Providing 
themselves with an abundance of material for 
lights and whatever else they deemed neces- 
sary, the exploration was made. Among the 
rubbish in the bottom of the cave some bones 
were found, which were thought to be those 
of an animal. One of the party, however, in 
looking closer, discovered a human skull, and 
further search revealed another ; then some 
little trinkets were found ; and finally a Span- 
ish gold coin, on one side of which was 
stamped the head " of Joseph Bonaparte. 
When these facts became known, it was re- 
membered that Count Survilliers had often 
presented similar pieces to members of his 
suite, and to particular friends as souvenirs of 
some special occasion. This fact coupled 
with the medical testimony, that one of the 
skulls found belonged to a male and the other 
to a female, made the conclusion almost irre- 
sistible that these were none other than the 
remains of Jean Vallois and the French 
maiden so soon to become a mother. Whether 
it was deliberate suicide on the part of both, 
or whether they fell victims to a beast of 
prey, will never be known so far as human 
knowledge is concerned. 

The author considers himself fortunate in 
having interviewed Mr. Joseph Blanchard, of 
Natural Bridge, N. Y. , before his death in 
1895, he having then reached his 88th year. 
His recollection of Joseph Bonaparte was dis- 
tinct and special, and being a man of great 
intelligence as well as wholly truthful, Mr. 
Blanchard 's description of the ex-King of 
Spain became very interesting. He describes 
Joseph as having been suave in manner, very 
kind to the settlers and easily approached. 
At times, to relieve the monotony of life in 
that far-away forest, he would don a work- 
man's blouse and aid in the work of building 
his house. This was in 1828. The Hon. 
Lotus Ingalls, the veteran AVatertown editor, 
well remembers the ex-king as a jolly French- 
man, who would sit in front of his dwelling- 
of a summer evening and scatter small coins. 



A BONAPARTE IN NORTHERN NEW YORK. 



lOI 



among the expectant boys who would struggle 
for the prizes. 

An examination of his dwelling at Natural 
Bridge gave rise to many peculiar sensations. 
Here dwelt one who had tasted every earthly 
pleasure, and had reigned as king over one of 
the proudest and oldest countries of modern 
times. Did he hope to obtain forgetfulness 
of the past by intercourse with the common 
people of a back settlement, or by livingclose 
to nature ; did he hope to rejuvenate a con- 
stitution doubtless worn by high living and 
the excitements that surround a throne ? Be 
that as it may, he tarried not long at Natural 
Bridge, returning to Bordentown, N. J., in 
1829. 

There are several dwellings in different 
parts of Jefferson county which were built by 
Joseph Bonaparte for residences or offices. 
Not more than one or two of these are stand- 
ing. He built a large stone house on the shore 
of Perch Lake, in the town of Pamelia, N. Y. 
This was very richly furnished throughout ; 
the fireplaces were fitted with marble mantels, 
and the whole house was finished to corres- 
pond. This was intended for a winter resi- 
dence, being within easy reach of his friends 
at Cape Vincent, and of the chateau of 
M. de Le Ray, at Le Raysville. This part 
of his domain was afterward sold to John 
La Farge, another French emigre, but now 
scarcely one stone stands upon another to 
mark what was once the dwelling of royalty. 
A nephew of Count Survilliers, Joachim Murat, 
was a frequent guest of his uncle, who pre- 
sented him with a tract of land lying between 
the present villages of Antwerp and Theresa. 
Here the young man began business on a 
large scale. He caused a canal to be dug, 
a dam was built on Indian river, and a mill 
erected, a storehouse and dwellings put up, a 



town laid out on a grand scale, and every 
preparation made for a city in the wilderness, 
but it failed to materialize. While the young 
Murat possessed all the natural proclivities 
which constitute the modern "boomer," he 
was half a century in advance of the times; 
settlers failed to come, the development of the 
country was slow, the locality was off the 
natural lines of communication, so that after 
the expenditure of a fortune, he was forced 
to abandon the enterprise, and now but little 
remains to indicate the spot where he fondly 
hoped to rear the flourishing city of "Joachim." 
In 1833, or it may be in the spring of 1834, 
Joseph Bonaparte returned to France, and 
Northern New York knew him no more. In 
1835 his agent. Judge Joseph Boyer, sold all 
his remaining lands in Jefferson and Lewis 
counties to John La Farge. At this time, 
political events in France apparently favored 
a reinstatement of the Bonaparte family, and 
Count Survilliers, hopeful that the next turn 
of the political wheel would bring the Bona- 
partes to the surface, was anxious to be where 
his greatest interests lay, and where his per- 
sonal efforts might be of some avail. With 
the sale of his landed estates, his interests in 
a country where, to use his own expression, 
"The best rights of man prevail," entirely 
ceased. Some three or four old men are yet 
alive, who, in the capacity of guides or 
laborers for the ex-king, can relate some anec- 
dote of him ; but of his real life while in 
Northern New York, scarce anything is pub- 
licly known beyond what is embodied in 
this brief sketch. Of one who was king of 
Naples, who sat on the throne of Spain, whose 
brother was an emperor, and wore the diadem 
of the Caesars, and whose acts have filled 
more pages of history than did those of Alex- 
ander the Great, it seems trifling indeed. 



THE MYSTERY OF MAPLE ISLAND. 



BY AN AMATEUR HISTORIAN. 



Oh, that I were a painter ! who could a picture make, 
A fitting guide to be, into this Island mystery. 



I^K\ APLE ISLAND, on which the tragedy 
1^^ I which I am about to relate took place, 
lies a little beyond the main steamboat channel 
on the American side, almost in front of, and 
in plain view from the balconies of the 
" Frontenac " on Round Island. It has an 
area of about six acres, and a high ridge ex- 
tends across it from east to west, or nearly so, 
which is inclined to be precipitous on the 
north and north-west. For the most part, the 
island is covered by a thick undergrowth with 
here and there a few larger trees, excepting 
on the south side of the dividing ridge, where 
the timber has been cut away, leaving a tri- 
angular shaped clearing with its apex at the 
top of the ridge. There is nothing about it to 
attract especial attention. 

Some time since, while glancing through 
the columns of Clayton's newsy weekly, On 
the St. Lawrence, I lighted upon a brief arti- 
cle which at once engrossed my attention. At 
this date I cannot give more than the sub- 
stance of the sketch, having mislaid the clip- 
ping made at the time ; but if my memory 
serves me it was headed: " The Tragedy of 
Maple Island ; " at all events, if not this in 
exact terms, it conveyed the idea so forcibly 
that I read and re-read the article, vainly try- 
ing to recall something that I had read before, 
which in a vague, shadowy way seemed con- 
nected with it. The substance of the article 
in question is as follows : 

In the summer of 1865, in the early part of 
June, a stranger made his appearance at the 



hotel in the little hamlet of Fisher's Landing, 
on the east bank of the St. Lawrence river, 
below Round Island, and opposite Thousand 
Island Park, which at that time had no exist- 
ence. It was a singular fact that although he 
gave a name, which is not now remembered, 
he never signed the hotel register. 

He was a broad-shouldered, dark-haired 
man, moustache and goatee, genteelly dressed, 
evidently not more than twenty-five years of 
age, probably less; of very agreeable manners, 
but very reticent, and with the characteristics 
of a Southerner. He spent his time chiefly in 
looking about the country, visiting, at times, 
the little village of Omar, and rowing in a 
skiff among the adjoining islands. He finally 
announced his intention of erecting a cabin on 
one of the islands, the better to enjoy his 
favorite pastime of fishing. He selected 
Maple Island as his place of residence, and 
at Clayton he purchased lumber and all the 
necessary materials for the structure, hired 
them transported to the island, engaged work- 
men to build it, bought a skiff with its outfit, 
and the furniture necessary for housekeeping, 
and in a short time occupied his island domi- 
cile. His food supplies — bread, butter, eggs, 
milk and vegetables — were obtained from 
farmers on Grindstone Island, and his gro- 
ceries from Clayton. He made no intimate 
acquaintances, though, if a chance caller vis- 
ited him, which was but seldom, he was treated 
courteously, but never iavited to repeat the 
call. He was known to have quite a store of 



THE MYSTERY OF MAPLE ISLAND. 



103 



books, and to amuse himself by playing upon 
the violin, as the strains of one were often 
heard proceeding from his cabin, which stood 
in a dense thicket against a wall of rock, and 
so hidden that it could not be seen from a 
passing skiff. The summer months sped 
away, and so quiet and undemonstrative was 
the stranger that he would have been almost 
entirely forgotten but for his semi-occasional 
visits to Clayton for supplies. 

Very early in the autumn, and it may have 
been during the last days of August, several 
strangers made their appearance on the river, 
stopping for a time at Alexandria Bay, at 
Fisher's Landing, and at Clayton. As it was 
nothing unusual to see strangers at these 
places, no especial notice was taken of them 
further than that they all seemed to be 
Southerners. But for subsequent events, this 
would not have been remarked, as it was by 
no means an unusual thing for Southerners to 
visit the Thousand Islands, prominent even 
then as a resort for those who affected the 
rod and gun. 

But an event took place which arrested the 
attention and aroused the sympathy of the 
people ; a bloody mystery, which to-day is 
almost as great a mystery as ever, and one 
which will, in all probability, never be fully 
solved, until the day when all mysteries shall 
be made clear. 

It was in September; the loveliest month on 
the St. Lawrence. As the poet Reade, 
sings: — 

" The season where the light of dreams 

Around the year in golden glory lies; — 

The heavens are full of floating mj'steries, 

And down the lake the veiled splendor beams! 

Like hidden poets lie the hazy streams. 

Mantled with mysteries of their own romance, 

While scarce a breath disturbes their drowsy trance." 

It was on such an evening that a bright 
light was seen by residents of Clayton, on 
Maple Island. It was conjectured at once 
that the Hermit's cabin had caught fire, but 
as it was impossible to reach him in time to be 
of any assistance, and apprehending no per- 
sonal danger to him, but little thought was 
given to the occurrence; further than that he 



was expected to come ashore for lodgings at a 
hotel; but as he did not come within a reason- 
able time, it was thought that he had rowed 
over to Grindstone Island, or down to Grenell's 
tavern, which stood where the Pullman 
Hotel now stands, and so nothing more was 
thought of the matter that night. 

The next morning, some fishermen went 
ashore on Maple Island, and visited the spot 
where the cabin stood. They saw at once 
that something unusual had occurred. The 
ground was tramped as with many feet. Evi- 
dences of a desperate struggle were on every 
hand. Traces of blood were found on the 
bushes, and then robbery and murder was 
suspected. A careful search was instituted, 
and finally the body of the unfortunate occu- 
pant was found near the water's edge, on the 
lower end of the island. His throat was cut 
from ear to ear, and a knife thrust had nearly 
severed the heart. There was no clothing on 
the body except a pair of drawers, and across 
the breast three crosses were cut in a triangle, 
one cross forming its apex, and two its base. 
To the discovers of the body, these had no 
especial significance. They saw nothing 
beyond plain murder and robbery. It might 
have been stated before, that the deceased 
was known to have plenty of money. He had 
always been a prompt and liberal paymaster, 
and whenever it had been necessary, owing to 
a lack of American money, he had offered 
English gold in payment for his purchases ; 
and so, that he was murdered solely for his 
money, was the prevailing idea, and no signifi- 
cance attached to the crosses ; and yet, these 
and these alone, furnished the clew which has 
nearly succeeded in tracing out the mystery. 

The coroner was summoned, and after a 
patient examination, the principal facts as 
above stated were brought out, and a verdict 
rendered accordingly. The body was decently 
buried, the occurrence created a "nine day's 
wonder," and then passed out of mind ; and 
but for the meager statement in the newspaper 
referred to, it would have never been revived, 
as there is to-day but one or two persons living 
who had an actual knowledge of the facts 
above stated. It must not be supposed that 



104 



A SOUVENIR OF THE ST. LAWRENCE RIVER 



the newspaper article contained a tenth part 
of what is already related. It was by close 
and persistent search and careful inquiry, that 
these additional facts were gleaned, and they 
are presented here as a reason for, and an in- 
troduction to, what follows : 

It was the month of April, 1865. The nation 
was jubilant. The long and bloody conflict 
had closed, and joy reigned triumphant every- 
where. The country was ablaze with bonfires, 
and grand illuminations turned night into day. 
The evening splendors of the National Capital 
were unsurpassed, and the grand illuminations 
were made still more gorgeous by the display 
of fireworks. Bands of music serenaded the 
President, whose congratulatory speeches it 
seemed to many were tinged with a shade of 
melancholy. But a day was at hand ; a day 
of gloom, and of darkness, and of woe, un- 
paralleled in the history of the world. Were 
it not necessary, by reason of their being an 
important factor in this narrative, the sad 
events which plunged a nation into mourning 
and lamentation would not be here rehearsed. 
The inexpressible sadness which pervaded 
every countenance at the news of the assassina- 
tion of Abraham Lincoln, was an index to the 
heartfelt pain within ; and even now, though 
thirty years have rolled into the dim and misty 
past, I am unable to recall the terrible event, 
much less to transcribe, however briefly, its 
salient features, without experiencing again 
that fearful shock, which, like an electric cur- 
rent laden with woe and draped with disaster, 
ran from man to man and from camp to camp 
throughout our lines at Raleigh, where the 
corps to which the writer belonged was 
stationed. It was the same everywhere. All 
nature seemed clad in the habiliments of woe. 

On the evening of the 14th day of April, 
1865, the play " Our American Cousin " was 
in progress at Ford's Theater, on Tenth 
street, just above E street, Washington, D. C- ; 
a large, plain brick edifice, now converted into 
a museum of war relics. In honor of the oc- 
casion and of the day's rejoicing, because 
the folds of the Nation's Flag had that day 
been once again flung to the breeze above 
the shattered ramparts of Fort Sumter, Presi- 



dent Lincoln was to occupy the " Presidential 
box," which consisted of the two upper boxes 
on the left of the stage thrown into one. The 
box on that memorable evening was occupied 
by the President and Mrs. Lincoln, Major R. 
H. Rathbone and Miss Clara H. Harris. The 
house, holding nearly three thousand people, 
was filled with the wealth and fashion of the 
city. 

At about 10 o'clock, when the second scene 
of the third act was on, a stranger worked his 
way into the proscenium box occupied by the 
Presidential party, and leveling a pistol close 
to the head of Mr. Lincoln, he fired ; then 
drawing a knife he inflicted a severe wound 
upon Major Rathbone, who had seized him, 
and breaking away he sprang down upon the 
stage, flourished his knife and shouted : "Sic 
Semper Tyrannis! " and before the real posi- 
tion of affairs could be comprehended, he 
dashed across the stage, mounted a fleet horse, 
which was in waiting in the alley in the rear 
of the theater, and escaped. 

That man was John Wilkes Booth, notori- 
ously a rebel, an actor of some merit, but now 
an escaping murderer. 

As soon as the audience realized the 
fact that the President was shot, the wildest 
excitement prevailed, and shouts of Hang 
him! Hang him ! resounded from every part 
of the house. The dying President was borne 
to a private house — Mr. Peterson's, across the 
street — and prominent physicians and sur- 
geons were summoned at once. It was soon 
discovered that there was no hope. Mem- 
bers of the cabinet assembled, together with 
other distinguished men, and stood mourn- 
fully grouped about the couch of the uncon- 
scious chief magistrate. An eye witness wrote 
thus : " The scene was one of extraordinary 
solemnity. The history of the world fur- 
nishes no parallel. Breathing his life serenely 
away, sensible to no pain and unconscious 
of all around, the Great Man of the nine- 
teenth century lay, passing away to that im- 
mortality accorded by Providence to few of 
earth." 

All the long, weary night the watchers stood 
around the couch. Day came at length, and 



THE MYSTERY OF MAPLE ISLAND. 



\0- 



at twenty-two minutes past seven o'clock on 
Saturday morning, April isth, 1865, the spirit 
of Abraham Lincoln, freed from its earthly 
tenement, went to God who gave it, and the 
nation went into mourning. 

It had been remarked that Secretary Seward 
was not among the members of the Cabinet 
who rallied around the bedside of their dying 
Chief; but when Surgeon-General Barnes 
reached the house, the reason was made clear. 
In substance, this is what happened to Sur- 
geon-General Barnes : He was met in front 
of Willard's Hotel by an officer, on the night 
of the assassination, who informed him that 
the President was shot. Supposing that 
the deed had been done at the presidential 
mansion, he hurried to the surgeon-general's 
office to give orders for assistance, and there 
he found a summons to the bedside of Secre- 
tary Seward, who had also been attacked by 
an assassin. Believing that this occurrence 
was what gave rise to the story that the Presi- 
dent was shot, he immediately hurried to the 
chamber of Mr. Seward. He found him lying 
upon the bed with one cheek cut open, and 
the flesh lying over on the pillow. The room 
presented a horrible appearance. Blood be- 
spattered everything. The attendants were 
huddled into corners, frightened and helpless. 
No one seemed capable of giving a single 
detail of the terrible occurrence. Dr. Barnes 
immediately gave his attention to Mr. Seward, 
but shortly Dr. Norris came, and turning Mr. 
Seward over to his care, the surgeon-general 
proceeded to look after the assistant secretary, 
Mr. Frederick Seward, who was lying wounded 
and insensible in an adjoining room. Soon 
after, other surgeons .came in, and from them 
he learned the distressing facts regarding the 
assassination of the President, and went at 
once to his bedside. 

However strange it may seem to us of to-day, 
as we read the various and voluminous ac- 
counts of those occurrences, yet it is a fact, 
that not for several days afterward, did any 
one seem to grasp the idea that it was a pre- 
concerted scheme of assassination — a con- 
certed plot to take not only the life of the 
President, but of other prominent men also. 



The one great overshadowing crime seemed 
to literally draw all attention to itself. Other 
transactions were dwarfed by it. Even the 
history of nations could produce no equal. 
True, Brutus slew Caesar in the Roman Senate 
chamber, and Charlotte Corday murdered 
Murat in his bath; but neither instance paral- 
leled this unheard of atrocity. 

Gradually, however, as events began to un- 
fold themselves, and the horizon of disturb- 
ance to clear, it was seen that the assassination 
was a part of a well-devised scheme, the only 
part, which, owing to some cause or causes 
unknown, had been carried into full effect. 
It soon became known also that the Metro- 
politan police had long been aware that a 
society called the Knights of the " Blue 
Gauntlet," the same in all essentials as that 
of the " Knights of the Golden Circle," existed 
in Washington; and they not only knew its 
place of meeting, but the names of many of the 
members. Not deeming it at all dangerous, 
but little attention had been paid to it, be- 
cause the secrets of the "Knights of the 
Golden Circle," or rather the "Sons of 
Liberty," that being the real name of the 
organization, had become known, through 
the address of Timothy Webster, one of the 
most daring and skillful members of the 
secret service ever in the employ of the 
United States government ; and who was cap- 
tured in Richmond, tried, convicted and 
hanged as a spy by the orders of Gen. Winder, 
April 29, 1862. 

A brief account of Webster's initiation into 
the secret society of the " Sons of Liberty " 
in the city of Baltimore, in 1861, may be 
given here as an illustration of the general 
character of the secret societies of that time, 
whose object was to aid the cause of the 
South, no matter under what name they mas- 
queraded. Webster, it should be understood, 
had so ingratiated himself into the good graces 
of leading secessionists in Baltimore, that 
there was not the slightest suspicion afloat re- 
garding him. On the contrary, he was so 
implicitly trusted that he visited unquestioned 
all parts of the South, making long visits to 
Richmond, where he was " Hail fellow, well 



io6 



A SOUVENIR OF THE ST. LAWRENCE RIVER. 



met! " with prominent rebels, and their trusted 
agent in Washington, where they frequently 
sent him with important dispatches, the an- 
swers to which were to be delivered to the 
authorities in Richmond ; but which, it is need- 
less to say, reached other hands than those of 
Judah P. Benjamin, the rebel Secretary of 
War, for whom many of them were intended. 
Among other prominent rebels in Baltimore 
was one Sloan, a noted rebel, with whom Web- 
ster was on the most intimate terms. During 
Webster's absence on one of his southern 
trips, certain secessionists of Baltimore or- 
ganized a secret society of which they were 
very desirous that he should become a mem- 
ber, and to Sloan, because he was an intimate 
friend, was delegated the duty of soliciting 
him to join. Seizing a favorable opportunity 
on Webster's return to the city, Sloan guard- 
edly broached the subject. 

"The fact is," said Sloan, "after you went 
away we formed a secret society." 

"A secret society 1 " 

"Yes; and we have held several meetings." 

" Is it a success .' " 

" A perfect success. Some of the best in 
the town are among our members. We may 
be forced to keep silent, but they can't com- 
pel us to remain idle. We are well organ- 
ized, and we mean undying opposition to a 
tyrannical government. I tell you, Webster, 
we will not down ! " 

" Never! " responded Webster, imitating 
the boastful tone and bearing of his friend 
Sloan. " It does not lie in the power of those 
white-livered Yankees to make slaves of 
Southern men! I should like to become a 
member of your society, Sloan." 

" They all want you," said Sloan, eagerly. 
"We passed a resolution to that effect at our 
last meeting. We want the benefit of your 
counsel and influence." 

"What is the name of your society.'' " 

"The Sons of Liberty." 

"When will your next meeting be held.' " 

" To-night." 

" So soon .? " 

"Yes; and you are expected to attend- 
Have you any objections ? " 



'' None whatever. But how will I get there ? " 
"I am delegated to be your escort." 
" What is your hour of meeting? " 
" Twelve o'clock." 

" Ah ! A midnight affair. All right, Sloan, 
you will find me waiting at the hotel." 

Promptly at eleven o'clock Sloan appeared 
at the hotel, whence he and Webster pro- 
ceeded toward the place of meeting. It was 
a dark and stormy night, and, as Webster 
thought, just the right sort of a night for con- 
cocting hellish plots and the performance of 
evil deeds. As Robert Burns says: 

" That night, a chiel might understand, 
The Deil had business on his hand." 

Sloan led the way to a remote quarter of 
the city, and into a street which bore a par- 
ticularly bad reputation. Stopping, he said: 

" I must blindfold you, Webster, before 
proceeding any further. This is a rule of the 
order, which, under any circumstance, cannot 
be departed from." 

Webster quietly submitted, and a thick 
bandage was placed over his eyes and se- 
curely fastened. Then Sloan took him by the 
arm and led him forward. Blindfolded as he 
was, Webster knew that they turned suddenly 
into an alley and passed through a gate which 
Sloan shut behind them. He also knew that 
they were in a paved court, probably in the 
rear of some building. Just then Sloan whis- 
pered : 

" Come this way and make no noise." 

The next moment he knocked in a peculiar 
manner against a door, and Webster knew it 
to be a signal. Immediately a guarded voice 
asked: 

" Are you white ? " 

Sloan responded: " Down with the blacks." 

A chain clanked inside, a bolt was with- 
drawn, the door creaked slightly on its rusty 
hinges, and they entered ; immediately they 
began to climb a thickly carpeted stair, at the 
head of which they were challenged : 

" Halt ! Who comes there ?" 

"Long live Jeff Davis," answered Sloan. 

Passing through another door, they entered 
an apartment in which there seemed to be 



THE MYSTERY OF MAPLE ISLAND. 



lo; 



several persons. A voice, meant to be im- 
pressive, demanded : 

" Whom have we here ? ■" 

"A friend. Most Noble Chief, who wishes 
to become a member of this worthy league." 

" His name? " 

" Timothy Webster." 

"Have the objects of this league been fully 
explained to him ?" 

" Most Noble Chief, they have." 

' Mr. Webster, is it your desire to become 
a member of this knightly band ? " 

" It is." 

Then came the ring of swords leaping from 
scabbards, and their clank as they met in an 
arch of steel above his head ; and then the 
Noble Chief continued: 

" You will now kneel upon your right knee, 
place your right hand upon your heart, and 
repeat after me the obligation of our brother- 
hood." 

" I, Timothy Webster, a citizen of Balti- 
more, having been fully informed of the ob- 
jects of this Association, and being in full 
sympathy and accord with the cause it seeks 
to advance, do solemnly declare and affirm, . 
iipon my sacred honor, that I will keep for- 
ever secret all that I may see or hear, in con- 
sequence of being a member of this league; 
that I will implicitly obey all orders, and 
faithfully discharge all duties assigned to me, 
no matter of what nature or character they 
may be ; and that life or death will be held 
subordinate to the success and advancement 
of the cause of the Confederacy, and of the de- 
feat of the bloody tyrants who are striving to 
rule by oppression and terrorism. Should I 
fail in the proper performance of any task 
imposed upon me, or should I prove unfaith- 
ful to the obligations I now assume, may I 
suffer the severest penalty awarded for treason 
and cowardice, and the odium belonging 
thereto, as well as the scorn and contempt of 
all true brother knights. " 

Again the swords clanked as they were re- 
turned to their scabbards, and the newly obli- 
gated member was commanded to arise. He 
obeyed, and the bandage was removed. At 
first he was blinded by the sudden light, but 



as his eyes became accustomed to it, he found 
himself surrounded by several stalwart men, 
all of whom wore dark cloaks and black masks. 

" Mr. Webster," said the Chief, " I now pro- 
nounce you a Son of Liberty." 

The masks were now removed, and to his 
relief, Webster discovered that the faces were 
all familiar. A cordial grasp of the hand was 
given by each in turn, and then they entered 
the principal council chamber, and Webster 
was escorted to a seat. In a few minutes the 
clock struck twelve, when every door was 
locked, and the real work of the order begun. 
There were some forty men present, and 
Webster noticed that they were from among 
the best citizens of Baltimore, the rowdy ele- 
ment not being represented. He was now 
instructed in the passes, signs and grips of 
the order, and especially in the rallying sign, 
which was three crosses, disposed in a triangle. 

It is not necessary to say more under this 
head, our only design being to give the reader 
a brief sketch of the so often denied secret 
society of the South, which in time, by the 
aid of Clement L. Vallandingham, of Ohio, 
permeated the entire North, and which, but 
for a fortunate circumstance that took place 
in the city of Indianapolis in 1863, would 
have resulted in fire and bloodshed through- 
out several of the Northern States, and which 
years later found an individual culmination in 
a bloody tragedy on an obscure island in the 
Great River St. Lawrence. 

Suffice it to say that in this case Webster 
listened to the schemes which were in pre- 
paration to destroy our National Capital, 
learned the names of the plotters and sympa- 
thizers in Washington, and in process of time 
so managed matters that this particular camp 
of the Sons of Liberty found itself immured 
behind the bars of the Old Capitol Prison. 

As a further instance, it may be interesting 
to know that a shrewd detective, who is yet 
living, and whose name it is unnecessary to 
mention here, was sent from Cincinnati to 
Louisville, Kentucky, by order of Gen. George 
B. McClellan, for the purpose of uniting with 
the Brotherhood, in order that he might learn 
its secrets, methods of work, designs and plans, 



Io8 



A SOUVENIR OF THE ST. LAWRENCE RIVER. 



which he fully accomplished, being initiated, 
as a comparison of dates shows, at Louisville, 
only two nights later than was Webster at 
Baltimore. The initiatory ceremonies, grips, 
signs, passes and signals were found to be 
identical. 

The Knights of the " Blue Gauntlet " had 
no names. The individual members were 
known only by numbers ; and any order or 
direction from the Chief was always sent to a 
number and not to a name. With this, and 
a few other minor differences, the Sons of 
Liberty and the Knights of the Blue Gauntlet 
were the same. All this was known to the 
police, but never for a moment was there the 
slightest danger apprehended, so powerless for 
any real harm did the organization appear. 
That it was not more closely investigated, and 
entirely broken up, was a fatal mistake ; real- 
ized when too late to be remedied. In fact, it 
had been but little more than a year since 
these secret meetings had been revived, and 
then more as a political factor than any thing 
else. To prevent the nomination and re- 
election of Abraham Lincoln was a consum- 
mation ardently desired by the friends of the 
Confederacy. With him no longer at the 
head of the government, a compromise would 
be effected, the war ended, and virtually 
victory would perch upon the flag of the 
South. 

But from this semi-passive political position 
to one more pronounced was easy. All that 
was wanted was a leader. A man who, within 
himself, combined all the elements, — a strong 
will, unlimited zeal, unbounded enthusiasm, a 
strong personal magnetism, and a blind, un- 
reasoning devotion to a cause whether right 
or wrong, coupled with an overwhelming de- 
sire for notoriety. Such a leader they found 
in John Wilkes Booth. . As affording a slight 
insight into his character, an extract of a letter 
to the Washington Chronicle, written after the 
assassination, by A. D. Doty, of Albany, a 
soldier then in Carver hospital, Washington, 
is here given. He says: "At the commence- 
ment of the war, J. Wilkes Booth was playing 
an engagement at the Gayety Theater in 
Albany, N. Y., which city attested in action 



more eloquent than words its love for the old 
flag by displaying it from every roof and 
window, when the news came of the unholy 
attack on Fort Sumter. Booth, at that time, 
openly and boldly avowed his admiration for 
the rebels and their deeds, which he character- 
ized as the most heroic of modern times ; and 
he boasted loudly that the Southern leaders 
knew how to defend their rights, and that 
they would never submit to oppression. So 
vehement and incautious was he in his ex- 
pressions, that the people became incensed 
and threatened him with personal violence, 
and he was compelled to make a hasty de- 
parture from the city. Before leaving, he 
attempted the life of an actress of whom he 
had become jealous. Finding his way to 
her room at midnight, he assaulted her with 
a dagger, fortunately inflicting but a slight 
wound. With the fury of a tigress she sprang 
upon him, and wrenching the weapon from 
his hand, in turn wounded him." 

These episodes show that he was not only a 
virulent rebel, but was at heart an assassin. 
Not only was Booth a murderer, but he was a 
mercenary one. While he was willing to as- 
sassinate the President, he wanted pay for 
doing it. Notoriety it would bring, but with 
it he wanted gold. 

All along during the war, and especially in 
the years 1863 and 1S64, Canada's principal 
cities swarmed with Southerners. St. Cath- 
arines, Toronto, Kingston, Ottawa and Mon- 
treal, were especially favored by these gentle- 
men; some of whom were accredited agents 
of the Confederacy, while they were all en- 
gaged in plotting against the North, and set- 
ting schemes on foot worthy the palmiest days 
of Diabolus, for the destruction of our lake 
cities in the absence of their defenders who 
were fighting against treason and rebellion on 
Southern soil. 

It has been already hinted that the secret 
order of the Knights of the Golden Circle had 
found a lodgement in some of the Northern 
States, especially in the States of New York, 
Indiana and Illinois; though Pennsylvania 
and Ohio were largely represented in their 
councils. In Michigan, Wisconsin and Iowa, 



THE MYSTERY OF MAPLE ISLAND. 



109 



the lodges were but few and far between. It 
was in Indiana and Illinois, that their great 
strength lay. In the former State there were 
100,000 armed and organized knights, ready 
to do the bidding of their chiefs. These 
were in constant communication with the 
Southern emissaries who, under the protection 
of Canada, plotted treason, laid plans to cap- 
ture steamers on the lakes and on the St. 
Lawrence river, fill them with armed men, 
and simultaneously descend upon Rochester, 
Buffalo, Detroit, Cleveland and Chicago, and 
firing them, rob, pillage, and murder, escaping 
to Canada as a place of safety. It was among 
the Confederate residents of Canada that the 
diabolical scheme was set on foot to scatter 
small pox throughout the cities of the North 
by means of infected rags. 

While Indiana, under the magnetic inspira- 
tion of that greatest among the great war 
Governors, Oliver P. Morton, responded with 
alacrity to every demand upon her for troops, 
to an extent far beyond her quotas, sending 
to the front, as a matter of fact, more men in 
proportion to her population than any other 
State in the Union, she was also cursed to a 
much greater extent with that abhorred pro- 
duct of the rebellion, the " Copperhead; " who 
was also, whenever the opportunity offered, a 
Knight of the Golden Circle. It has been 
already stated that they numbered a hundred 
thousand. It is no wild statement. It can 
be verified by the muster rolls of the order, 
captured in Indianapolis, and now preserved 
in the archives of the State. A brief allusion 
to the facts, will refresh the memory of many 
of our readers, while the incident may be of 
some interest. 

In 1863-4, Indianapolis was a great military 
camp. Sentries were stationed everywhere. 
The air was rife with rumors of an uprising in 
various portions of the State. The camps 
around the city were more closely guarded 
than ever. Emissaries of those inimical to 
the government had secretly poisoned the 
minds of many of the soldiers, and desertions 
were frequent. These were concealed in 
almost inaccessible places and carefully 
guarded against recapture. Bands of Southern 



sympathizers drilled openly in the fields. 
United States marshals were set upon by in- 
furiated mobs, maltreated and murdered. 
Every citizen went armed. Fearful rumors of 
an impending outbreak permeated the com- 
munity, but when, or how, or from what source 
the blow was to come, none could tell. Sur- 
mise was the only certainty. A sentry on duty 
at the Union depot was watching the unload- 
ing from a car a mass of boxes. They were 
consigned to Dodd & Co., merchants, at whose 
store was the " Repository of the American 
Bible Society," and these boxes were supposed 
to contain Bibles for distribution among the 
soldiers. One of the boxes was slightly 
shattered by the rough handling it received at 
the hands of those who were unloading the 
freight. A bit of metal gleaming through a 
crevice in the broken box attracted the soldier's 
attention. 

" Nice lot of books them," he said to him- 
self. " Silver plated Bibles, I reckon. Pretty 
durn tony them tract peddlers is gittin. Guess 
I'll have a look at one of 'em, anyhow." 

A brief investigation revealed to the soldier 
the startling fact that the box contained re- 
volvers. It suddenly occurred to him that 
he had heard that the firm of Dodd & Co. 
were suspected of being rebel sympathizers, 
though by no means outspoken. Unlearned, 
but with a shrewdness worth more in a case 
like this than all the diplomas ever issued 
from college halls, he at once decided how to 
act. Not a word did he breathe to his ser- 
geant, nor to the officer of the guard. He 
saw clearly that it was a case requiring judg- 
ment, and yet promptness. Calling a com- 
rade, he was about to send him to the Gen- 
eral's headquarters with a note, when fortu- 
nately the General and two or three members 
of his staff came riding down Illinois avenue. 
As they neared his post, he saluted and then 
called to the General. In a few words he 
made known his discovery. The General dis- 
mounted and made a personal examination, 
satisfying himself that the statement was true. 
Sending for the officer of the guard, he or- 
dered him to count the boxes and affix a pri- 
vate mark to each one, and then note care- 



no 



A SOUVENIR OF THE ST. LAWRENCE RIVER. 



fully who came for them. Mounting his 
horse, he returned to headquarters. 

By and by draymen came for the boxes, 
and, strangely enough, with every dray load 
that moved away, there loitered along on the 
opposite side of the street a lazy unconcerned 
looking citizen who always had business in 
the same direction the dray was going. The 
goods were unloaded in the rear of Dodd & 
Co.'s store, transferred to an elevator and sent 
above. Over this store, and three stores ad- 
joining, in the third story, was an immense 
empty chamber which had never been utilized. 
It was one vast unfinished garret, as every one 
supposed. 

There were times when early in the morn- 
ing bits of paper, on which three crosses in a 
triangular form had been printed, were found 
pasted to fences, trees and tree boxes, or scat- 
tered loosely about ; and so often did this 
occur that it was accepted as a sign — but a 
sign of what ? 

The next morning after the boxes were 
hoisted to the upper story of Dodd & Co.'s 
store, those triangular emblems vi^ere more 
numerous than ever before. So were the lazy 
men in citizen's clothes. They were disrepu- 
table men, too, because they were frequently 
seen to gather, two or three at a time, in the 
alley in the rear of the store, and drink from 
a bottle and then disappear. That night was 
a great business night for Dodd & Co. The 
store was thronged and never before were 
clerks so busy. Even the lazy citizen was 
there, having overcome his indolence so far 
as to make some slight purchases. Not hav- 
ing anything himself to do, he noticed what 
others were doing; and, among other things, 
he noticed that instead of going out the way 
they came in, that is to say, by the frontdoor, 
they went out at the back door ; slipped out, 
so to speak, singly ; and, it seemed to him, as 
if desirous of not being observed. It also 
seemed to him that he could hear the noise of 
the elevator at work. A careful investigation 
showed that it was at work, and that the cus- 
tomers were going into the story above, prob- 
ably to complete their purchases ! 

Be that as it may, a couple of hours later, 



all the lower part of the store was filled with 
soldiers, both front and rear, and squad after 
squad went up in the elevator, and then came 
the grand climax. The boxes of Bibles con- 
signed to Dodd & Co. were found as marked 
and numbered. They were packed with navy 
revolvers and ammunition. But this was the 
least important of the capture. This turned 
out to be the general headquarters of the 
order for the State. In this room the Adju- 
tant-General had his office. The rolls and 
reports of the order were found. The names 
of the members of every camp of the Knights 
of the Golden Circle in the State were there. 
It was a revelation. Men against whom not 
a breath of suspicion had ever found utter- 
ance, here stood revealed as officials high in 
the secret councils of treason. Correspond- 
ence with Jacob Thompson, Clement C. Clay 
and Larry McDonald, then in Canada as 
accredited agents of the Confederacy, was dis- 
covered; but over and above everything else, 
a plot to burn the cities already mentioned, 
and the time when a general rising was to 
take place, all was revealed. The conspira- 
tors stood aghast, with no word of excuse to 
offer. Under a strong guard they were 
marched away to the jail and to the military 
prison, and by early morning two Major- 
Generals of the order, one in La Fayette, and 
another in Evansville, together with several 
Brigadiers and Colonels, a score or more, 
were under arrest, and on their way by the 
first trains to the Capital City. Dodd, Horsey 
and Mulligan, the Bible operators, were tried 
among the rest, and in a few weeks there were 
no spare casemates in Fort La Fayette, and 
the Dry Tortugas was crowded. From that 
time a great fear fell upon the Knights of the 
Golden Circle in Indiana. Their collapse 
was as complete as it was sudden. Here and 
there in the strongest copperhead localities, 
an attempt was made to revive the order 
under new names, but it was a signal failure. 
It is a pleasure to be able to record the fact 
that the soldier who first discovered the 
"silver plated Bibles" was promptly pro- 
moted. His coolness and self-command at 
the time of the discovery made the detection 



THE MYSTERY OF MAPLE ISLAND. 



Ill 



of the conspirators certain. Had he been 
less shrewd, and informed his sergeant or 
lieutenant, the chances are that the find would 
have been known throughout the city in an 
hour ; the evening paper would have displayed 
glaring headlines, and the chance to entrap 
the Knights of the Golden Circle would have 
been lost. 

In the meantime, Chicago, Cleveland, 
Buffalo and other lake and river cities were 
warned, and had taken measures for their 
own safety. The Confederate plotters in 
Canada saw at a glance that the game was up. 
The chances of capturing steamers on the 
lakes, and transforming them into quasi vessels 
of war, were utterly destroyed ; and so they 
turned themselves to the consideration of new 
schemes. They began to despair of conquer- 
ing the North, and as a recompense for defeat 
they nourished revenge. Gradually this desire 
grew into a discussion as to ways and means, 
and finally led to the consideration of a 
method of relief for the South, which, could 
it be carried into effect, would be the crown- 
ing scheme of all. This was the assassination 
of Lincoln, Johnson, Seward, Grant, Sherman 
and Sheridan, and as many other prominent 
ofificers and men of affairs as could be reached 
and struck down at the same hour, through 
concerted action. This done, the South must 
be victorious. Visions of place and power in 
the future to those who could conceive and 
execute this daring scheme fired their ambi- 
tion, and personal aggrandizement, more than 
pro patria, urged them on. But a tool must 
be found, and they had not far to look. 

John Wilkes Booth was starring in Canada, 
and to him they instinctively turned. Dur- 
ing his engagement in Toronto, a meeting 
took place at the Queen's Hotel. Booth knew 
enough about these men and some others 
then in Canada, not to be surprised at any 
scheme they might propose. Already they 
had perpetrated acts of villainy that if even 
half punished, would expatriate them for life. 
On the other hand they knew the man before 
them. They had fathomed his inordinate 
vanity, arid well knew his sordid ambition. 
They ministered to the one, and made promises 



which, if fulfilled, would abundantly gratify 
the other. They assured him that the success 
of the scheme depended upon himself alone. 
That, if successful, unbounded wealth and 
fame to gratify the most ambitious would 
be his. 

At first. Booth hesitated at the idea of whole- 
sale murder. Another scheme had entered 
his fertile brain, and until that failed, there 
should be no murder ; but if it failed, then — 
The plan was to kidnap the President and as 
many others as could be taken, gag them, 
convey them to a safe retreat, and when an 
opportunity offered, transfer them to the rebel 
capital. All these facts are substantiated by 
evidence on file in the government archives 
at Washington, among which is a letter written 
by Booth which reveals the entire scheme. 

The discovery of a house on street in 

Washington, with furnished underground 
apartments provided with manacles, and all 
the accessories of solitary confinement, is evi- 
dence indisputable. In an upper room of the 
same building the Knights of the Blue Gaunt- 
let held their secret meetings, and finally 
plotted murder. 

Throughout all his base designs the dra- 
matic element in Booth was always uppermost. 
He planned a triumphal starring trip through- 
out the South. Full of this idea, he shipped 
his theatrical wardrobe from Canada, and 
when his plans had been successfully carried 
out, he would don the buskin once more, and 
become a theatrical star of the first magnitude, 
though his crime rather than his ability as an 
actor, should prove the drawing card. If 
assassination, which he now began to seriously 
contemplate, should be the final outcome of 
all this damnable plotting, what a Brutus he 
would become. That immortal creation of 
Shakspeare, Julius Caesar, should be so modi- 
fied, that Washington would become Rome, 
and Abraham Lincoln, Caesar. Payne, and 
Atzeroth, and Surratt, and Harold, and half a 
score of others of a like character should be 
the grand conspirators, while he, the chief 
conspirator of all, the head, the director, the 
murderer par excellence, would be the Brutus. 
How realistic it would all be. A great Shaks- 



112 



A SOUVENIR OF THE ST. LAWRENCE RIVER. 



perean tragedy, only modified in some par- 
ticulars to adapt it to time and circumstance, 
played by a troupe whose leading characters 
were real assassins! What a triumph of the 
Thespian art! What a modern histrionic suc- 
cess! One thing only was lacking. Were it 
but possible to assassinate a veritable Lincoln 
at every presentation of the play, nothing more 
could be desired. 

Booth soon discovered that his scheme of 
kidnapping could not be carried out. It was 
deemed too rash. He could find no one who 
would engage in the hazardous undertaking. 
Something must be done to satisfy, first, his 
own egotistic ambition, and, second, to earn 
the guerdon of blood, an earnest of which, in 
English gold, he had already received at the 
hands of his employers, the Confederate agents 
of the South. 

Now he began to plan in earnest the vil- 
lainous scheme of assassination. Furnished 
with abundant funds, he dropped an anchor 
to windward by depositing four hundred and 
fifty-five dollars, his own money, in the Bank 
of Ontario, at Montreal. This, with date of 
entry, was shown by his bank book, which 
was captured with Atzeroth. 

Then came a search for the proper tools. 
Along the eastern boundary of Kentucky, 
bordering on Virginia, in a region of hills and 
mountains almost inaccessible, is a section of 
country which, for years, has been the home 
of family feuds, which have resulted in nu- 
merous murders, and, consequently in the 
growth of a class of men who held liffe very 
cheap, and to whom a bloody vendetta was 
but a recreation. In the midst of such asso- 
ciations, seven brothers, named Payne, had 
grown up. They were outlaws born, robbers 
by profession, and murderers from choice, 
though the sons of a Christian minister. So 
bald had they become, and so bloody their 
raids, especially on the homes of those moun- 
taineers suspected of favoring the Union, 
that at length troops were sent into their 
neighborhood with instructions to kill or cap- 
ture them. It was a cavalry force under the 
lead of an officer only too well disposed to 
carry out his instructions. The father was 



captured and imprisoned, and the sons made 
their escape. Three of them went to South 
America, and four of them to Florida, and 
thence to Canada. Two of them were en- 
gaged in the St. Albans raid, one escaped, 
and the other, Lewis Payne, under the as- 
sumed name of Wood, and by the direction 
of the Confederate agents in Canada, reported 
to Booth in Washington, where, later on, he 
was joined by John A. Payne, one of his 
brothers, whom he had left in Canada. Here, 
then, is a list of conspirators, all of whom have 
joined the Knights of the Blue Gauntlet — 
Booth, the two Paynes, one of whom was 
known as Wood, John H. Surratt, Sam Ar- 
nold, McLaughlin, Harold, John Lloyd, and 
several others, who took the alarm and escaped 
in time to avoid arrest. 

The assassination of Murat by Charlotte 
Corday, of Normandy, is one of the conspicu- 
ous instances on record, that a woman may 
become an assassin; and even though we may 
applaud and justify her act, yet it was assas- 
sination ; and because it was at the hands of 
a woman, its dramatic effect was increased 
tenfold. Keeping the dramatic effect in view, 
Booth determined to have a woman in this 
case, and it was not long before he became 
acquainted with the very person he needed. 

Ten miles from Washington, in Prince 
George's county, Maryland, was a little cross- 
roads hamlet called Surrattsville. The prin- 
cipal property there was a hotel ; one of those 
fine old Southern hostelries which, when in 
the right hands, was as complete a home as a 
temporary stopping place can be made to be.' 
The owner gave his name to the village and 
his property to his wife, and died peaceably, 
as a good landlord should. The wife carried 
on the hotel business for a while and then 
rented the property to one John Lloyd, re- 
moving with her son and several daughters to 
Washington. Early in the conflict, Surratts- 
ville became a rebel post-office, and Mrs. Sur- 
ratt a post-mistress. When she removed to 
Washington, John Lloyd looked after the 
mails. In renting her hotel, Mrs. Surratt re- 
served apartments for her own use whenever 
she chose to visit Surrattsville. Mrs. Surratt 



THE MYSTERY OF MAPLE ISLAND. 



"3 



was a large, masculine woman, always self- 
possessed, and in her way, as dangerous a 
rebel as was ever Belle Boyd or Rose Green- 
how. John Wilkes Booth could not have 
found a fitter agent in all Washington, and at 
her house in the city and her rooms in the 
country tavern Booth was ever welcome, and 
there treason took definite shape. 

After the preliminaries had all been settled, 
a plan of escape was to be devised. To this 
end, Booth took a trip on horseback through 
lower Maryland as far as Leonardstown, pro- 
fessing to purchase land, but in reality to 
mark on his map every spot and place, and 
every road and crossing which might in the 
near future become useful. He had provided 
himself with one of the maps which was pub- 
lished for the rebel government by a copper- 
head firm in Buffalo, N. Y., but which was 
not full enough for his purposes, and so he 
made the needed corrections after personal 
examination. 

The conspiracy made no undue haste. All 
the influence thereto was absorbed by Booth 
and Mrs. Surratt. He was the chief plotter 
and she his main stay. Even among the 
principals, assassination, though agreed upon, 
was never referred to except by implication. 
To have openly spoken of murder among 
themselves and in their most secret consulta- 
tions, would not have been tolerated for a mo- 
ment. It was against the canons of polite 
society. In this society Booth was at home; 
he was supreme; cool, vigilant and plausible; 
the chief command was easily accorded him, 
and he felt himself great in intellectual stat- 
ure. Mrs. Surratt was too shrewd to embroil 
any member of her family in the conspiracy; 
and so it happened that young Surratt, though 
fully cognizant of everything, was sent north 
by his mother a day before the assassination. 
For a year or more he had been employed as 
a clerk in the office of the Commissary-Gen- 
eral of Prisoners. He was a prominent mem- 
ber of the Knights of the Blue Gauntlet, and 
treasurer of the camp. 

An extract or two from a letter of his to a 
cousin residing in New York, may be of in- 
terest : 



" Office of the Commissary-General \ 
OF Prisoners, >■ 

Washington, D. C, Feb. 6, 1865. ) 
' Miss Belle Seaman : 

" Dear Cousin. — I received your letter, and not 
being quite so selfish as you are, I will answer it in 
what I call a reasonable time. I am happy to say 
that we are all well and in fine spirits. We have 
been looking for you lo come on, with a great deal 
of impatience. Do come, won't you ? Just to think, 
I have never yet seen one of my cousins. But never 
fear, I will probably see you all sooner than you ex- 
pect. Next week I leave for Europe, and may give 
you a call, as I go to New York. * * * I have just 
taken a peep in the parlor. Would you like to 
know what I saw there ! Well, Ma was sitting on 
the sofa, nodding first to one chair, then another, 
and then the piano. Anna is sitting in a corner, 
dreaming, I expect, of J. W. Booth. Who is J. W. 
Booth? Well, she can answer that question. 
* * * But hark, the door-bell rings, and Mr. 
J. W. Booth, is announced. Just listen to the scam- 
pering. Such brushing and fixing. We all send 
love to you and family. 

" Your Cousin, 
"J. HARRISON SURRATT, 
" 541 H Street, between 6th and 7th streets." 

Matters were now approaching a crisis. It 
was at first intended that the assassination 
should take place during the inauguration 
ceremonies, but it was finally decided to be 
too risky. When it became known that the 
President would appear in public at Ford's 
Theatre, the time for definite action was plain. 

Booth's principal actors were now assigned 
their parts. John Harrison Surratt was to go 
north into Canada, and on hearing of the 
result, if all was right, he was to repair at once 
to Toronto and there claim the promised gold 
and make his way to Richmond. Atzeroth 
was to murder the Vice-president, Andrew 
Jackson ; Lewis Payne, or Wood as he called 
himself, was to look after Seward ; Sam 
Arnold and McLaughlin, were each to kill a 
cabinet officer, and John Lloyd, a general. 
John A. Payne, with two confederates, had 
gone to North Carolina to look after Sherman. 
Harold was the stage manager, and looked 
after the properties. Horses and arms were 
provided, and every possible avenue of escape 
cleared, even to cutting the telegraph wires 
around the city. On the very afternoon of 



114 



A SOUVENIR OF THE ST. LAWRENCE RIVER. 



the murder Mrs. Surratt visited Surrattsville 
and told John Lloyd to have the carbines 
which young Surratt had placed in his care, 
ready for immediate use, as they would be 
needed that night. Lloyd had sent his wife 
away on a visit. Three weeks before the 
murder, Harold told some friends that the 
next time they heard of him he would be 
in Spain ; adding that there was " no extra- 
dition treaty with that country. " John Lloyd 
told friends at Surrattsville that he would 
"make a barrel of money or that his neck 
would stretch." Atzeroth said in Port To- 
bacco, that if he " ever visited that place 
again he would be rich enough to buy it." 

On that fateful Friday night Ford's Theater 
was crowded. Long before the curtain rose, 
the " Standing room only " card was displayed 
at the ticket office window. Near the door, 
the lobby was crowded. Booth went on the 
stage, and from behind the scenes looked 
searchingly over the audience. Suddenly 
near the door, a voice was heard. It said : 
" Nine o'clock and forty-five minutes ! " 
The words were repeated by other voices 
until they reached the sidewalk. While peo- 
ple wondered, the voice said again : 
" Nine o'clock and fifty minutes ! " 
This also passed on as before, and then — 
after an interval — 

'■' Nine o'clock and fifty-five minutes ! " 
The life of the President was growing 
shorter by intervals of five minutes each. 
The bells in the clock towers tolled out ten 
o'clock. Why, they knew not, but a shudder 
crept through the audience. 

" Ten o'clock and five minutes ! " 
Another interval. Then : 
" Ten o'clock and ten minutes ! " 
At this instant Booth entered the door of 
the theater, and the men who had so faith- 
fully-repeated the murder-laden minutes scat- 
tered as though a messenger of Death had 
approached. Five minutes more and the 
deed was done. 

At the same moment Payne was scattering 
blood from room to room in Secretary Sew- 
ard's home. Having murdered Mr. Seward, 
as he thought, and but for Robinson, the 



nurse, it would have been an accomplished 
fact, he mounted his horse and attem,pted to 
find Booth and Harold, but the selfishness of 
crime was uppermost, and they had gone and 
left him to his fate. The city was alarmed, 
and he fled to the open country ; when near 
Port Lincoln, on the Baltimore pike, his 
horse stumbled and threw him headlong. 
Half stunned and bevi^ildered, he arose and 
resolving to return to the city, attempted to 
disguise himself. 

He threw away his bloody coat, which was 
afterward found, and from a sleeve of his 
woolen undershirt he fashioned a rude cap, 
and then, plentifully daubing himself with 
mud and clay, and shouldering a pick which 
he found in the intrenchments near by, he 
started for Washington. 

He reached Mrs. Surratt's door just as the 
officers were arresting her. He was taken 
into custody. He had come, he said, to dig 
a ditch for Mrs. Surratt, who had hired him. 
With all the effrontery of crime, Mrs. Surratt 
protested that she had never before seen the 
man, and that she had no ditch to dig The 
officers washed Payne's hands and found them 
to be soft and tender as a woman's. In his 
pockets they found tooth and nail brushes, 
and a delicate pocket knife. Unusual toilet 
implements to be found on the person of a 
digger of ditches. 

Atzeroth's room at the Kirkwood was 
directly over that of Vice-President Johnson. 
He was there to do murder, but the opportu- 
nity failed, and his courage also. He fled in 
such haste that he left his vi^eapons, a bowie 
knife and revolver, between the mattresses of 
his bed. Booth's coat was found in his room, 
and in the pockets were riding gauntlets, 
boxes of cartridges, a map of Maryland, pub- 
lished in Buffalo, and corrected by his own 
hand, a spur, and a handkerchief marked with 
his mother's name. Atzeroth fled alone, and 
when captured was at the house of his uncle 
in Montgomery county, Maryland. Sam 
Arnold and McLaughlin grew faint hearted 
and ran away, without making the slightest 
attempt to carry out their part of the pro- 
gramme. 



THE MYSTERY OF MAPLE ISLAND. 



IIS 



It was not until Thursday night that the 
real intentions of Booth became fully known 
to the Knights of the Blue Gauntlet. John H. 
Surratt, before leaving the city on Thursday 
morning, confided the facts to a brother 
Knight. Confusion and terror ensued, and 
many of the band hurriedly fled from the 
city, and those who remained kept themselves 
in seclusion. Booth, with his accustomed 
duplicity, had, kept them in ignorance, lead- 
ing them to believe that the plan of abduction 
was the one to be pursued. So frightened 
were they that the lodge room, with its para- 
phernalia, was left undisturbed, and with it the 
cells in the basement still furnished, in which 
condition they were found by officers later 
on. Canada was a refuge for Southern rebel- 
dom, and thither they fled. 

Booth and Harold met immediately after 
the murder, and sped away at a gallop past 
the Patent Office, up and over Capitol hill, 
and away to the bridge which crossed the 
Eastern branch at Uniontown, and at mid- 
night they drew rein at Surrattsville. Harold 
dismounted, and entering the bar procured a 
bottle of whisky which he handed to Booth, 
and then rushing up stairs he brought down 
one of the carbines which had been left there 
by John H. Surratt. One only was taken. 
The other, left in the hall, was found by the 
officers. As they started off. Booth said to 
Lloyd: "We have murdered the President of 
the United States and the Secretary of State." 
Before sunrise on Saturday morning they 
reached the house of Dr. Mudd. Here Booth's 
injured leg, one of the bones of which was 
broken when he jumped down upon the stage 
at the theatre, was set. A link in the chain 
of evidence was left here; Booth's riding boot 
had to be cut to get it from his foot, and his 
name was written in the inside of the leg on 
the lining. It was not noticed, and so it 
remained there until found by the officers in 
pursuit; one of the clews which revealed the 
route of the fugitives. They were concealed 
at Dr. Mudd's during the day, but at night, 
mounting their horses, they rode away in the 
direction of Allen's Fresh. It was to Allen's 
Fresh that Lloyd had sent his wife on a visit 



to get her out of the way. By the aid of a 
negro, to whom they gave five dollars, they 
reached the house of one Sam Coxe, at mid- 
night. Coxe was a notorious rebel, and though 
the fact could not be fully established, enough 
was learned to convince all who heard his ex- 
amination that he was well aware of the con- 
spiracy. 

The negro, whose name was Swan, remained 
at Coxe's until they were ready to go, when 
he was to pilot them further on their road. 
Notwithstanding the fact that Swan had seen 
them eating and drinking, the refugees when 
they left the house swore bitterly at Coxe for 
his lack of hospitality. This was to blind the 
negro; for after they had ridden about five 
miles, they told him that they now knew the 
road, and would no longer have need of his 
services; and giving him five dollars more they 
rode on. But Swan was a shrewd negro, and 
so he watched them until he saw them turn 
back to Coxe's again, where they were har- 
bored from Sunday until the next Thursday. 

The next move of the fugitives was to cross 
the Potomac. This was a move of some 
danger. Friday evening a white man was 
seen to bring a canoe to the shore and anchor 
it with a stone. Between seven and eight 
o'clock the next morning it disappeared, and 
in the afternoon some workmen saw two men 
land in a canoe on the south side of the 
Potomac, and strike across a ploughed field 
toward King George Court House. One of 
the men walked with a crutch. Booth was 
provided with a crutch at the house of Dr. 
Mudd. They were next heard of at the Port 
Royal Ferry, and then at Garrett's house. 
Now, the long-persecuted Unionists of Lower 
Maryland began to come forward and give 
important testimony, which under threats and 
intimidation they never before dared to whis- 
per. They told of the meetings of the conspir- 
ators at Lloyd's Hotel in Surrattsville, and 
then Lloyd was arrested. Booth's carbine 
found, and three days later Lloyd confessed. 
A little party of detectives under the untiring 
Lovett overhauled the residence of Dr. Mudd, 
where they found Booth's boots. This was 
before Lloyd confessed, and was the first posi- 



;ii6 



A SOUVENIR OF THE ST. LAWRENCE RIVER. 



tive evidence the officers had that they were 
upon the trail of the murderers. Much of the 
after success of the pursuit was due to the care- 
ful work done by this little squad of detectives. 

A second party, under the charge of Major 
•O'Beirne, now took the field. Through these 
•the hiding place of Atzeroth was discovered, 
and he was arrested. With this party was 
Captain Beckwith, Gen. Grant's chief cipher 
operator, who tapped the wire at Point Look- 
out, and thus put the War Department in 
momentary communication with the theater 
of events. By this time the troops were 
assembling in various parts of the country in 
considerable numbers. Seven hundred men 
of the Eighth Illinois Cavalry, six hundred men 
of the Twenty-second Colored Volunteers and 
one hundred of the Sixteenth New York were 
patrolling the country by detachments, while 
Major O'Beirne and Col. Wells, with a force 
of cavalry and infantry, swept the entire 
peninsula with a line of skirmishers deployed 
in close intervals. Major O'Beirne, with his 
detectives, then crossed the Potomac and 
found where the fugitives had landed from 
the canoe on Boone's farm. This was another 
link in the chain which gave a clew to their 
route. 

Now comes the chief of the secret service, 
Col. Lafayette Baker, on the scene. Absent 
from Washington at the time of the murder, 
he returned three days after, by order of 
Secretary Stanton, and engaged at once in the 
search for Booth. He possessed himself of 
all the War Department knew regarding the 
matter, and then acted. His first find was a 
negro who saw Booth and Harold when they 
crossed the Potomac. 

Sending to General Hancock for twenty- 
five cavalrymen and an officer, Lieutenant 
Edward P. Doherty, he sat down to his maps 
to decide upon the probable route of the 
fugitives. He knew that they would not keep 
close to the coast owing to the difficulty in 
crossing swamps and rivers, nor would they 
take any direction leading east of Richmond, 
where they were likely at any time to strike 
our lines. He soon decided that they would 
be most likely to pass through Port Royal, 



and there he hoped to intercept them. The 
little force of cavalry detailed from Company 
G, i6th N. Y., under the command of Lieu- 
tenant Doherty, having reported, he placed 
them under the command of Lieutenant- 
Colonel Conger, of Ohio, and Lieutenant L. B. 
Baker, of New York, and sent them direct to 
Belle Plain, on the lower Potomac, from thence 
to scour the whole country north of Port 
Royal. Here they found a negro who had 
driven two men, in his wagon, a short distance 
toward Bowling Green. These men answered 
the description of the fugitives. The ferry- 
man who took the party across the Rappa- 
hannock gave them information of the utmost 
importance, though wrung from him by threats. 
They learned that the two men were at that 
moment lying at the house of one Garrett, 
which they had passed some time before. 
Retracing their steps, the nearly exhausted 
cavalrymen reached Garrett's at two o'clock 
in the morning. It was a pale moonlight 
night. The plain old farmhouse was dimly 
seen through a locust grove. It stood about 
three hundred yards from the road, and behind 
it an old weather-beaten barn, some long corn 
cribs, and a cattle shed. 

Entering the roadside gate, the troops rode 
up to the house. Lieutenant Doherty picketed 
the premises, and then rode up to a side en- 
trance and rapped. An old man in his night 
clothes, with a candle in his hand, made his 
appearance. It was Garret. 

" Where are the men who are staying with 
you ? " asked Doherty. 

"They are gone," he said* "They went 
to the woods this afternoon." 

In the meantime a lad, John M. Garrett, 
had been found by one of Doherty's men in a 
corncrib. Questioned in earnest, he saw that 
evasion would not do, and at once revealed 
the fact that Booth and Harrold were asleep 
in the barn. Doherty had already threatened 
to search the house, and the women were up 
and dressed, but this news changed the pro- 
gramme. 

The troops were dismounted and the barn 
surrounded. Baker hailed the persons inside, 
who could now be heard stirring. 



THE MYSTERY OF MAPLE ISLAND. 



117 



Lieut. Baker called to them: "We are 
about to send in the son of the man in whose 
custody you are found. Surrender your arms 
to him, and give yourselves up or we will fire 
the place." 

There was no answer. The door was 
opened and young Garret pushed inside, ap- 
pealed to them to surrender. With an oath 
Booth said: "Get out of here. You have 
betrayed us." The boy slipped out again as 
the door was slightly opened, and reported 
that his errand had failed. 

The summons was repeated by Baker. 
" You must surrender! Give up your arms 
and come out! There is no chance for escape. 
We give you ten minutes to make up your 
minds." 

Then came the demand : " Who are you, 
and what do you want with us ? " 

Baker again said: " We want you to deliver 
up your arms and become our prisoners." 

After a lapse of some minutes. Baker hailed 
again: "Well, we have waited long enough; 
come out and surrender, or we'll fire the barn. " 

Booth answered: "I am a cripple, a one- 
legged man. Withdraw your forces twenty- 
five paces from the door, and I will come. 
Give me a chance for my life. I will never 
be taken alive." 

" We did not come here to fight, but to 
capture you. Surrender, or the barn will be 
fired," said Doherty. 

" Well, then, my brave boys, prepare a 
stretcher for me," cried Booth. 

Then there was a pause, during which a 
discussion between Booth and his companion 
was.heard. Booth said, " Get away from me. 

You're a coward, and want to leave me in 

my distress; but go — go ! I don't want you 
to stay — I won't have you stay ! " Then he 
shouted : " There's a man inside here who 
wants to surrender." 

Then Harold rattled at the door, and 
begged to be let out, saying, " I want to 
surrender." 

"Hand out your arms, then," said Doherty. 

"I have none." 

" You are the man who carried the carbine 
yesterday; bring it out." 



" I haven't got any." In a whining tone. 

Booth then said: "On the word and honor 
of a man and a gentleman, he has no arms 
with him. They are mine, and I have them." 

Harold came to the door, was seized and 
pulled out by Doherty, handcuffed and turned 
over to Corporal Newgarten. 

Booth then made his last appeal. " Captain, 
give me a chance. Draw off your men and I 
will fight them singly. I could have killed 
you six times to-night, but I believe you to 
be a brave man, and would not murder you. 
Give a lame man a show." 

It was too late for further parley. Before 
he had ceased to speak Colonel Conger slipped 
around to the rear of the barn, and drawing 
some loose straws through a crack set them 
on fire. They were dry and soon in a blaze 
lighting up every part of the great barn. At 
sight of the fire Booth dropped his crutch and 
carbine and crept on his hands and knees to 
the spot hoping to see the incendiary and shoot 
him down. Then he turned upon the fire as 
if to leap upon and extinguish it ; but it had 
gained too much headway. Turning, he 
made for the door, resolved not to die alone, 
when Sergeant Boston Corbett, thinking that 
he was about to shoot Lieutenant Doherty, 
fired with the intention of hitting him in the 
arm, but instead of the arm the bullet struck 
him in the head, barely an inch from the spot 
where the assassin's bullet struck the murdered 
President. 

It was first thought that he had shot him- 
self. He fell into the arms of Lieutenant 
Doherty, who brought him out of the burning 
barn and laid him upon the grass. Water was 
brought and dashed upon his face, and he re- 
vived. He was then carried to the porch of 
the house and laid upon a mattress. Brandy 
and water was given him, and when able to 
speak he said: "Useless, useless." The 
soldiers extinguished the fire. Booth muttered 
" Kill me! Kill me! " Brandy was given him 
every minute, and the doctor who lived six 
miles away, arrived but could do nothing. 
Booth asked to have his hands raised so that 
he could see them; his arms were paralyzed, 
so that he knew not where they were. When 



Ii8 



A SOUVENIR OF THE ST. LAWRENCE RIVER. 



they were shown him, he muttered: " Useless, 
useless! " They were his last words; applica- 
ble not only to his hands, but to his whole 
life. "Useless." And so he died. His 
remains were sewed up in a saddle blanket, 
placed in a rickety old wagon drawn by an 
ancient relic of a horse, and the march to 
Washington was begun. The arms found 
with him were a knife, a repeating carbine and 
a pair of revolvers. A diary, bills of exchange 
and Canada money were found on his person. 
Harold was mounted on a horse, his legs tied 
to the stirrups, and placed in charge of four 
men, and the cortege of retributive justice 
moved on. 

" Though the mills of God grind slowly, 
Yet they grind exceeding small ; 
Though with patience He stands waiting, 
With exactness grinds He all." 

Ferrying once more at Port Royal they 
pushed on for Belle Plain, reaching there 
about three o'clock in the afternoon, when 
they embarked for Washington, where a few 
only were permitted to see the corpse for the 
purpose of identification. That this should 
be complete, the Secretary of War directed 
Col. B^ker to summon a number of witnesses 
residing in Washington who had previously 
known Booth. Six witnesses, who had for 
years known him intimately, were examined, 
and identified the remains. Surgeon-General 
Barnes cut from the neck about two inches of 
the spinal column through which the bullet 
had passed. This is in the Government 
Medical Museum in Washington, and is the 
only relic of the assassin's body in existence. 
No further mutilation of the remains took 
place in the slightest degree. Following the 
further instructions of the Secretary of War 
as to the disposition of the body, it was taken 
directly from the gunboat to the old peniten- 
tiary building adjoining the arsenal grounds, 
and there in a cell a large flat stone was 
raised from the floor, a rude grave dug, the 
body dropped in, and so ended the funeral 
obsequies of John Wilkes Booth, the assassin. 
Atzeroth, Payne, Harold and Mrs. Surratt 
were tried, convicted and hanged. The exe- 
cution took place on the gth of July, 1865. 



'1 



Others, no doubt equally guilty in intent, 
escaped ; and the movements of some of 
these will be set forth in this narrative. Into 
the details of the trial and execution, I need 
not enter. Complete accounts may be had 
from other sources, no doubt well known to 
the reader. From this point the narrative 
will press steadily on toward the " Mystery of 
Maple Island." 

Much of what is yet to be said is but a 
compilation of existing records, published 
and unpublished, some of which have been 
kindly loaned to the author of this chapter. 
The reader will remember that John A. Payne 
was sent to North Carolina to look after 
General Sherman, and the first clue to his 
whereabouts at the time of the assassination, 
is found in the following correspondence, 
which we give entire. 

" MooRHEAD City, North Carolina, 
May 5, 1 865. 
" Hon. William H. Seward, Secretary of State : 

Sir: — Enclosed you will find a letter which I 
found floating in the river by the new Government 
wharf, at this place, on the evening of the 2d inst. 
It was not until late last night that I succeeded in 
learning its purport, it being in cipher. Having 
learned its nature, I lose no time in transmitting it 
to you. I also send a copy of the letter as translated. 
The letter evidently had not been opened when 
thrown in the river. I think the fiend was here 
awaiting the arrival of General Sherman, but learn- 
ing that he had gone by way of Wilmington, and 
being pressed by detectives, threw it overboard. 

Chas. Denet. 

"P. S. — If the letter should lead to anything of im- 
portance, so that it would be necessary that I should 
be seen, I can be found at 126 South H St., between 
6th and 4! sts. I am at present engaged in the Con- 
struction Corps, Railroad Department, at this place. 
Will be in Washington in a few days." 

The following is a translation of the cipher 
letter. It was one of those ciphers which are 
readily translatable when the key is known, 
and even that is not so very difficult to dis- 
cover. The government experts were familiar 
with it, having often seen the same cipher in 
captured rebel correspondence. Hence it 
was easy to see that Mr. Denet's ingenuity 
had given him the key to the true meaning of" 
the epistle. 



THE MYSTERY OF MAPLE ISLAND. 



119 



[Translation.] 

"Washington, April 15, 1865. 
" Dear John^ I am happy to inform you that Pet. 
has done his work well. He is safe and old Abe is 
in hell. Now, sir, all eyes are on you — you must 
bring Sherman. Grant is in the hands of Old Gray 
ere this. Red Shoes showed lack of nerve in Sew- 
ard's case, but fell back in good order. Johnson 
must come. Old Crook has him in charge. Mind 
well the Brother's Oath, and you will have no diffi- 
culty. All will be safe, and we will enjoy the fruit 
of our labors. We had a large meeting last night — 
all were bent on carrying out the programme to the 
letter. The rails are laid for safe exit. Old — always 
behind- — lost the pass at City Point. Now, I say 
again: — The lives of our brave officers and the life 
of the South depends upon the carrying this pro- 
gramme into effect. No. 2 will give you this. It 
is ordered that no more letters be sent by mail. 
When you write again, sign no real name, and send 
by some of our friends who are coming home. We 
want you to write us how the news was received 
there. We receive great encouragement from all 
quarters. I hope there will be no getting weak in 
the knees. I was in Baltimore yesterday. Pet. has 
not got there yet. Don't lose your nerve. 

" No. Five." 
O. B. 

That this delicious bit of treasonable corre- 
spondence was sent to John A Payne there is 
little or no doubt. From it we also learn that 
" Pet." was John Wilkes Booth ; " Red Shoes," 
Wood, alias Lewis Payne, and " Old Crook," 
Atzeroth. The letter was evidently written 
early on the morning after the assassination, 
and placed in the hands of No. 2, to convey 
to Payne. It further shows that there was a 
meeting of the Brotherhood of the Blue Gaunt- 
let on the very night of the assassination ; or, 
if not of them as a camp, of some of them as 
a band of conspirators. 

General Sherman's change of route threw 
Payne out in his calculations. The ordinary 
route from Raleigh, where Gen. Sherman's 
headquarters were at the time, to Washington, 
was by rail via Goldsborough and New Bern 
to Moorhead City, thence by steamer to Wash- 
ington. There is no doubt, as Mr. Denet 
suggests, that Payne was on the watch at 
Moorhead City, but learning that Sherman 
had gone to Washington via Wilmington, and 
hearing, as he could not fail to hear, the result 



of the assassination, he lost heart, rid himself 
of every thing of a suspicious nature, and fled. 

We will probably strike his trail again before 
our narrative closes. The following letter, 
dated at Buffalo, N. Y., is of no little interest, 
because it verifies in a degree what has already 
been stated. [ 

" Buffalo, N. Y., April 18, 1865. ' 

" Hon. E. M. Stanton, Secretary of War, Wash- 
ington, D. C. : — My Dear Sir : ^ Business has 
called me to Toronto, C. W., several times within 
the past two months ; and while there, I have seen 
and heard some things which may be of service to 
the government. 

"Aboutfive weeks ago, I sawat the Queen's Hotel, 
Toronto, a letter written by the late John Y. Beale, 
just previous to his execution, which, after speaking 
of his mock trial, unjust sentence, the judicial mur- 
der that was to be perpetrated by his execution, etc., 
called upon Jacob Thompson to vindicate his char- 
acter before his countrymen of the South, and ex- 
pressed his belief that his death would be speedily 
and terribly avenged. The letter itself was ad- 
dressed to Colonel J. Thompson, Confederate Com- 
missioner at Toronto, but the superscription on the 
envelope, which was in a different handwriting, read 
simply, J. Thompson, Toronto, Canada. This cir- 
cumstance caused it to be delivered to a Mr. Thomp- 
son for whom it was not intended. I was permitted 
to peruse, but not to copy, the letter. I was in- 
formed, at that time, that the friends of Beale were 
banded together for the double purpose of avenging 
his death, and aiding the rebel government. I 
have heard the same statement repeated many times 
since, and have been frequently told by citizens of 
Toronto that some great mischief was being plotted 
by refugees in Canada. For more than a month 
General Dix's name was mentioned in my hearing 
in connection with the threatened vengeance. Re- 
garding all such stories as idle tales, I never repeated 
them. Last Friday evening, while sitting in the 
office of the Queen's Hotel, I overheard a conversa- 
tion between some persons sitting near me, which 
convinced me that the plot to murder the President 
was known to them. The party was mourning over 
the late rebel reverses, commenting upon the execu- 
tion of Beale, the extradition of Bueley, etc., and 
then they cheered themselves after this fashion : 
" We'll make the damned Yankees howl yet." 
" Boys, I'll bet that we'll get better news in forty- 
eight hours." "We'll have something from Wash- 
ington that will make people stare." Their words 
at the time seemed to me to be simply vulgar and 
profane, and implying idle threats which could 
never be executed. The next morning (Saturday, 
April 15), when I heard of the assassination, I could 



I20 



A SOUVENIR OF THE ST. LAWRENCE RIVER. 



not help feeling that the party were implicated in 
the act. On Saturday, I met two of them in com- 
pany with Ben Young, and one or two others of the 
St. Albans raiders, in the bar-room at the Queen's. 
One said, " Good news for us this morning," and 
another, " Damn well done, but not enough of it." 
Raising their glasses, one said, " Here's to Andy 
Johnson's turn next, to which another responded, 
" Yes, damn his soul." On relating this circum- 
stance to Hon. E. G. Spaulding and others, they 
were of the opinion that I should communicate them 
to your Department. For my own part, I beg to 
refer to Hon. Ira Harris, of the Senate, and Hon. 
John A. Griswold, of the House." 
" I am, my dear sir, very truly yours, 

G. C." 

Mr. C. is a respectable lawyer in this city, and his 
statements are entitled to credit. 

E. G. S. 
Buffalo, N. Y. 

The letter speaks for itself, and needs no 
cominent. The only criticism to offer is not 
upon the letter, but upon the writer. Had 
he been possessed of the shrewdnesss which 
the average lawyer ought to possess, he would 
have written to the War Department long 
before. Written at the time it was, it only 
showed how great was the lack of detective 
ability which every great lawyer possesses in 
some degree. In the writer, it only verified 
the old adage about " locking the stable after 
the horse is stolen." 

The next letter in evidence throws a ray of 
light on the trail of John Harrison Surratt, 
and also, from the description, of John A. 
Payne. It is from one of the many detectives 
which were sent into Canada on a hunt for 
the escaped conspirators. It is dated at 
Montreal on the 27th of April. Its great 
length precludes its insertion in full, but we 
give the salient portions; those relating directly 
to the subject in hand. Just here, it may be 
well to note that a prominent Englishman in 
Montreal, who, previous to the assassination of 
the President, was a strong sympathizer with 
the South, and was well acquainted with the 
Confederate agents in Canada, and fully in- 
formed of their plans and movements, said 
that the murder of the President was too much 
for him ; and he told Alderman Lyman, of 
that city, that the Southern agents had heard 
from the party who murdered the President, 



and that they expected him in Montreal within 
forty-eight hours; and if not the principal, 
one closely connected with the assassination. 
This information the agents received on the 
20th of April. The reader will bear the date 
in mind, as he reads the extracts from the 
detective's letter: 

"Montreal, April 27, 1865. 
" Colonel L. C. Baker: 

" Dear Sir — While in Burlington (Vt.), I obtained 
a white linen handkerchief, which was dropped in 
the Vermont Central Depot, on Thursday evening 
April 20, by one of three strange men who slept in 
the depot all Thursday night. These men came from 
the steamer Canada, Capt. Flagg. She was very late 
that evening, and did not connect with the train 
north, to Montreal, which leaves at 7 o'clock, P. M. 
They came into the depot between seven and a half 
and eight o'clock, after the night watchman went on 
duty. They had no baggage. They were all rather 
poorly dressed, and looked hard, worn out, and tired. 
The watchman asked them which way they were 
going; they said "to Montreal." When told that 
they could not go that night, they said that they knew 
it. He asked them if they wanted a hotel; they said 
no, that they were going to sta}' in the depot. They 
did not seem to have much to say or do with each 
other. They curled up on seats in different parts of 
the room, and went to sleep, and remained quiet all 
night. The watchman awakened them about 4 
o'clock in the morning to take the train, which they 
did. After they left he picked up two dirty pocket 
handkerchiefs where they had slept. While looking 
them over, he found the name of J. H. Surratt No. 2, 
on one of them. B., the watchman, got his mother 
to wash the handkerchiefs, and on Saturday he went 
to the city, and told the circumstance of finding them. 
Detective G. C. got the handkerchief from B., and I 
got it from him. Enclosed you will find it. B. 
said that one of the men was tall and the others 
short. He identifies the likeness of Surratt, as being 
one of the men. I then found the conductor who 
ran the train to Essex Junction that morning, and he 
too, fully identified Surratt's likeness as being one 
of the men. I next found C. T. Hobart, who runs 
the through train to St. Albans, Vermont. He gave 
a descriptionof t%vo men only who boarded his train 
at Essex Junction on Friday morning, April 21, at 
5.05 o'clock. One was a tall man, broad shoulders, 
otherwise slim, straight as an arrow, did not look 
like a laborer, though dressed rather poor; had on a 
loose sack coat, cassimere shirt, light colored pants, 
and a tight fitting skull cap. His hair was black as 
jet and straight; no beard; was young, not more than 
twenty-one or twenty two. The other man was not 
much over five feet, thick set, short neck, full face, 



THE MYSTERY OF MAPLE ISLAND. 



121 



sandy complexion, sandy chin whiskers and no 
other beard. He wore a soft black-felt hat, dark- 
colored sack coat, light-colored pants, and a reddish- 
colored flannel shirt. He had but little to say; let 
the tall man do the talking. They both got off the 
train at St. Albans. He felt as if they were a pair of 
assassins, and in speaking to a friend about the 
matter, he gave vent to his suspicions. He fully 
identified Surratt's picture as that of the tall one, and 
said that he would know him anywhere. * * * 
There is no doubt that Surratt is in this province, 
together with some others, but whom I cannot tell. 
Enclosed I send you a likeness of one of the Paynes, 
of whom there are seven brothers, all Kentuckians. 
Three of them are said to be in South America, one 
is in jail at St. Albans, and the others are here un- 
less you have them with you. The picture is marked 
on the back. If of no use, please send it back to the 
owner. I am going out along that portion of Canada 
bordering on Maine, Vermont and New York. Many 
rebels are in there. Young Saunders and others are 
there now. Porterfield, a dangerous rebel, is mak- 
ing preparations to go to Nashville; ought not to be 
allowed. Trowbridge, anotner, has gone to De- 
troit. " Respectfully, etc., 

It was that very picture of " one of the 
Paynes," which fully revealed the identity of 
the man Wood, who attempted the assassina- 
tion of Secretary Seward. It was, in fact, his 
own portrait taken in Montreal, some time pre- 
vious to starting for Washington to report to 
John Wilkes Booth. The next communica- 
tion is addressed to Secretary Stanton. It 
was dated at Montreal on the 29th of April, 
1865. ' We append an extract or two : 

" Hon. E. M. Stanton, Secretary of War: 

"Dear Sir. — ^There is no doubt that J. H. Sur- 
ratt and John A. Payne were in the city yester- 
day, and that they left last night in company with 
Clement C. Clay and others probably for Toronto. 
I am a private detective here, without authority to 
act for your government. I looked the city over for 
G., one of Baker's men, but found that he left for 
the border townships yesterday morning, so I failed 
to see him. * * * I am not at all certain 
that they went to Toronto; it is only my opinion. 
They may have gone to Three Rivers, as there are a 
great many Southern refugees there, or to Tanner, 
where it is said that John A. Payne has heretofore 
spent a great deal of his time, together with three of 
his brothers. "Respectfully, etc.. 

About this time a letter was received at 
Washington, post-marked Detroit, but written 



at Tanner, Canada, by one John P. H. Hall, 
of that place, and directed : " To Andrew 
Johnson, President of the United States, or 
other authority. " Its contents are as follows : 

" With certainty I state to you that John A. Payne, 
and thirteen others, are sworn to murder Andrew 
Johnson, E. M. Stanton, L. S. Fisher, and others, 
within thirty days from April 23d. 1865. The ar- 
rangements are all made and in progress toward 
execution. I do not know where John A. Payne is 
now. He was at Montreal when this plot was pro- 
jected. His brother (whose name I do not recollect) 
is implicated. Seven of the plotters are at Washing- 
ton, four at Bedford, Pennsylvania, and the thir- 
teenth is with Payne. These are plain facts. Do 
not reveal this, but arrest John A. Payne and his 
brother. I send this to Detroit to avoid suspicion. 
■ Yours, etc., 



The Montreal private detective was right in 
his opinion, at least so far as Clement C. Clay 
was concerned; because, among many other 
names registered at the Queen's Hotel, 
Toronto, on the evening of April 29, 1865, 
was that of C. C. Clay. Whether Surratt and 
Payne were in his company remains to be 
seen. Jacob Thompson and Larry McDonald 
were already there. 

So far, the testimony as to the whereabouts 
of John H. Surratt is fairly complete. In the 
absence of direct and absolute proof, it may, 
at all events, be accepted as strong circum- 
stantial evidence. We now present yet another 
letter, written by a colored man, which, though 
anonymous, and as such not entitled to take 
rank as evidence, yet it harmonizes so well 
with what has been already learned that it 
seems worthy of some credence. At all 
events, it is here given place, and left to the 
judgment of the reader. 

The letter is postmarked " Niagara Falls," 
and is dated "Monday, May 2nd, 1865," 
and directed " To the Secretary of War, 
Washington, D. C. " The writer says : 

"I beg of 5'ou not to let any one see this letter. I 
dare not sign it for fear that my name may somehow 
come out. I send you my name and business on a 
separate paper so that you ma)' judge whether I 
have an opportunity to learn what I tell you. Be 
sure to destroy it. I send this to be mailed at 
Niagara Falls, because a letter directed to you and 



122 



A SOUVENIR OF THE ST. LAWRENCE RIVER. 



dropped into this post-office, would be read by Jake 
Thompson before it was sent out, if it was ever sent 
at all. What I want you to Icnow is that there is an 
awful nest of rebels here at this time. Clay, Surratt 
and John A. Payne are here. They came Saturday 
with a lot of others. Surratt and Payne skipped out 
last night and now there is the very devil to pay. 
It seems that Surratt was the treasurer of some 
society that was hired to murder President Lincoln 
and a lot of others, and that Jake Thompson took 
the gold out of the bank here and paid it over to him 
and Payne, and that they were to divide it among 
the others ; but they skipped out and now they can't 
find hide nor hair of them. I wouldn't like to be in 
their shoes if the gang gets them, and they are going 
in pursuit. They are plotting now to murder a lot 
more in revenge for the killing of Booth, and if 
Payne and the rest are hung they say that they will 
burn Washington. You can't tell how much I hear, 
and of course I don't hear it all, as I am only in the 
room when I take liquor to them, which is pretty 
often though, but one of the girls hears heaps and 
tells me all about it. Anyway, you folks in Wash- 
ington ought to look out. I hope you will catch 
and hang every one of them, especially Jake Thomp- 
son. I hate him. That is all I can write now. 



But little more remains to be said, and that 
is scarcely more than conjecture. This much 
is positively known. A sharp lookout for J. 
H. Surratt and John A. Payne, was kept at 
St. Catharines, Canada, for some time. That 
city was a great place of resort for Southern 
rebels, among whose citizens they found a 
welcome, especially among a certain class. 
Then, too. Col. Beverly Robinson, of Vir- 
ginia, was the proprietor of a fashionable 
hotel there, which became a noted resort for 
Southerners and Southern sympathizers, and 
where rebellion against the Government of 
the United States was as openly discussed as 
it ever was in Charleston, South Carolina, 
where it originated. But the rebellion went 
down with a crash and so did Beverly Robin- 
son's hotel business, to the sorrow of several 
capitalists of St. Catharines, whose only se- 
curity for heavy loans was a life insurance 
policy, and the " honah, sah," of Col. Beverly 
Robinson, one of Virginia's F. F. V.'s, on 
neither of which as late as 1881, had they 
ever realized a cent. Whether the indebted- 
ness has since been canceled, this deponent 
saith not. 



But John H. Surratt and John A. Payne 
were too shrewd to visit St. Catharines. The 
former made his way to Three Rivers, Que- 
bec, where he was protected for a time by 
Father Boucher, a Catholic priest. He went 
thence to Italy, enlisted in the Papal Zouaves, 
was exposed by another Papal soldier by the 
name of Massie, extradited, tried and ac- 
quitted in Washington in 1868, and now lives 
in Baltimore. A man bearing the description 
of John A. Payne, was seen in the vicinity of 
Sharbot and Rideau lakes, Ont., and at 
Smith's Falls during the latter part of May, 
1865, and shortly afterward at Gananoque, 
where he stayed for a day or two, and then 
settling his hotel bill, in payment of which 
he offered a gold piece of English coinage, 
he left, no one knew whither. Was it John 
A. Payne who made his appearance at 
Fisher's Landing 1 The description and 
the time tally well. It may with some show 
of reason be asked: If he wanted to hide 
himself effectually among the islands, why did 
he not choose some spot among the myriad 
islands of the Admiralty group near Ganano- 
que, or in the Navy group below.' Evidently 
he was a shrewd observer. He well knew that 
the defrauded Brotherhood would hunt him 
to the death, but he also knew that they would 
be unlikely to venture to the American side 
of the St. Lawrence; while they would search 
every island in the Canadian Channel. He 
knew, too, that Baker's government detectives, 
would never think of looking for him on the 
United States side of the line. Besides, had 
he located in either of the island groups men- 
tioned, the Admiralty, for instance, his sup- 
plies would necessarily be drawn from Gan- 
anoque, a dangerous point for him to visit. If 
in the Navy group, it was not easy to procure 
needed supplies, without travelling some dist- 
ance. Then, too, the main channels of steam- 
boat travel at that time, especially for the Can- 
adian steamers, passed through those groups. 

Locating where he did — if indeed it was 
him, showed great shrewdness. Maple Island 
is at some distance from any of the regular 
lines of steamboat travel, and from any of the 
channels taken by excursion steamers, which, 



THE MYSTERY OF MAPLE ISLAND. 



125 



at that time, were few and far between ; and 
while the island is by no means hidden, that 
fact of itself was an element of safety; because 
no one would think of searching an island so 
open to the view of every one. That a party 
of five or six men made their appearance in 
Gananoque in the month of August, 1865, 
making inquiries about a man who answered 
the description of John A. Payne, already 
given, is a fact that may be easily substantiated. 
They affirmed that they all belonged to a 
party of workmen who had been employed 



that the fateful sign of the three crosses wa> 
cut upon the breast of the murdered hermit. 
That of itself is almost positive evidence that 
he met his doom at the hands of the Brother- 
hood, and that not robbery only, but revenge, 
was a prime factor in the assassination. 

Scores of instances can be produced where 
the bodies of those who fell victims to the 
relentless oaths of the secret Brotherhoods of 
the South during the rebellion were marked 
in like manner. Even the " Ku Klux Klans "" 
of 1866, '67 and '68, during the reconstruction 




'LITTLE FRAUD," BELOW FAIRY LAND. 



near Montreal, and that the man for whom 
they were looking drew the pay for them, and 
then ran away. They had followed him to 
Smith's Falls, and from there could get no 
further trace of him. 

There is some significance, too, in the fact 
that after the burning of the cabin on Maple 
Island, nothing more was seen of the party of 
supposed Southerners, who had for some days 
previous sojourned at the Hubbard and Walton 
Houses in Clayton. 

But of yet greater significance is the fact 



period, left in many instances the same bloody^ 
sign upon the breasts of their murdered 
victims. 

Reader, the testimony is all in ; whatever 
may be its value as evidence, it is wholly a 
matter of record, accessible to those who care 
to investigate. The writer has sought far and 
wide for additional proofs, but they could not 
be found by him ; and now the judgment 
remains with you ; for with this paragraph, he 
submits for your decision The Mystery of 
Maple Island. 



124 



A SOUVENIR OF THE ST. LAWRENCE RIVER. 




THE "NEW ISLAND WANDERER. 

longs to the Alexandria Bay Steamboat Company, making daily excursions up and down the River and among the Islands. Steamer " Island 

of same line, makes daily trips to Ogdensburg. 



H. WALTER WEBB. 



Some writer for a New York newspaper, 
under date of August i8, 1894, lets himself 
loose in the following style: 

"While Dr. Chauncey M. Depew is divid- 
ing his time in Europe between talking horse 
and diplomacy with Lord Roseberry, Rhine 
wine and yachts with the German Kaiser and 
anarchy and politics with President Casimir- 
Perier, of France, his job, as the president of 
the New York Central Railroad and authority 
on almost everything pertaining to railroads, 



is being held down by a young man who is 
not so well known as he, but who is thought 
by men who know, to be an altogether better 
president of railroads than the talented Dr. 
Depew. Dr. Depew's ' sub ' is about twenty- 
five years younger than himself, and he can 
probably outrun and outbox his superior and 
do a lot of things that the doctor's stiffened 
joints would not possibly permit him to under- 
take. He is very much quieter than the doc- 
tor, and while he may not have as many 



H. WALTER WEBB. 



125 



friends, those who talk with him every day 
say that he can give his chief points in the 
line of ' hustling.' Although he was not al- 
together unknown four years ago, it was not 
until then that his genius as a railroad mana- 
ger brought him prommently before the 
public. Mr. Depevv was then, as now, in 
Europe hobnobbing with the big guns over 
there, while Cornelius Vanderbilt, who owns 
most of the New York Central Road and who 
hires Mr. Depew at a fancy salary, was some- 
where in Africa." 

This screed reads well, and desiring to know 
more of this man who has proven himself able 
to " hold down " the great Chauncey's seat, 
we have taken some pains to make inquiries 
about him. We are told that in the spring of 
1890 the directors of the New York Central 
Railroad determined to make some changes in 
the organization — changes which involved 
promotion of some of the abler officers of the 
road. Among other things which they voted 
to do was the creation of a new department, 
the head of which was to be elected third vice- 
president of the system, and to have supreme 
direction of the traffic of the road, both pass- 
enger and freight. He was to be held, in 
short, responsible for the management of such 
business as was offered to the company. The 
choice for this responsible office fell upon 
H. Walter Webb, and only a few weeks later 
this young man found himself face to face 
with a strike which was more threatening than 
any that had occurred upon the road, perhaps 
in its existence, certainly since the great strike 
year of 1877. 

Two years later Vice-President Webb was 
called to face another emergency of the same 
sort, and these two experiences fixed attention 
upon him as one of the great railway managers 
of the United States. Men who do not know 
Major Webb are asking one another something 
about his personality and his intellectual 
qualities, as the generalship he displays not 
only in strike crises, but in those more silent 
but in some respects equally desperate battles 
which railroad companies as competitors of 
other railroad companies are constantly fight- 
ing. 



In New'York Major Webb is well known, but 
elsewhere, although he has gained wide repute, 
there is little knowledge of the manner of man 
he is. The story of his career contains much 
that is instructive and interesting. 

Major Webb is one of the sons of that dis- 
tinguished politician and editor of the time 
when the Whig party was fighting its battles. 
Gen. James Watson Webb. Great as were 
Gen. Webb's achievements in the political 
world, when he came to old age he took greater 
pride in the promise which was already begin- 
ning to be fulfilled, of raising a family of boys 
who would gain distinction, perhaps, equal to 
that which was gained by the famous Field, or 
Washburn, or Wolcott families. 

Walter Webb, in his youth, showed some 
taste for engineering, and he was placed in 
the Columbia College School of Mines, which 
is the scientific department of that institution, 
and was at the head of his class some twenty 
years ago. After graduation, however, young 
Webb felt some inclination toward a career at 
the bar. He gratified it to the extent of study- 
ing, being admitted, and hanging out his 
shingle for a brief time. His legal education 
was of value to him, though only in other 
achievements toward which he began to drift 
soon after he opened his office. An opportu- 
nity was presented for him to go into the bank- 
ing and brokerage business, and for some years 
he was busy in studying the mysteries of Wall 
street, and in learning the market value of 
the securities there dealt in. 

Almost incidentally he drifted into the rail- 
way business. His brother, Dr. Seward 
Webb, who married one of the daughters of 
William H. Vanderbilt, became interested in 
the Palace Car Company which the Vander- 
bilts controlled, and when Webster Wagner, 
the president of that company, met his sud- 
den death, having been crushed between two 
of his own cars in a railway collision. Dr. 
Webb became president of the company, and 
invited his brother to accept an official post 
in connection with it. Walter Webb had 
not been in the railway business a month be- 
fore both he and his employers discovered 
that he had peculiar qualifications for this 



126 



A SOUVENIR OF THE ST. LAWRENCE RIVER. 



business. It seemed to fascinate him. He 
was no pompous ofificial, fond of sitting in 
richly carpeted rooms and issuing orders with 
heavy dignity. He was everywhere. He 
studied the science of railway car building; 
he skirmished around among the shops; he 
was not afraid of dirt, nor of putting on a 
jumper and a pair of overalls, if necessary, 
and as a consequence he soon had not only 
mastered those duties he was employed to 
perform, but being full of suggestions and 
devoted to his avocation, he was rapidly pro- 
moted. He served, while an officer, really 
an apprenticeship, working harder than any 
other employe, never thinking about hours 
or salary, but only bent on learning the 
business. 

In the railway business such a person moves 
rapidly toward the top. The history of rail- 
way corporations in the United States fur- 
nishes many such instances. Social influence, 
political pulls, as they are called, family pres- 
tige, count for nothing in the development of 
railway men. Nothing but fidelity and capa- 
city have any influence with directors in the 
selection of executive officers. Any other 
course would be perilous. 

Therefore, when the time came for this cor- 
poration, one of the'greatest in the world in 
railway management, to place a competent 
man at the head of its traffic business, Major 
Webb was selected, and so thoroughly has he 
justified that choice that at the time when 
President Chauncey M. Depew was consider- 
ing the invitation of President Harrison to 
become the successor of Mr. Blaine, as Secre- 
tary of State, it was understood in railway 
circles that Major Webb would be chosen pre- 
sident of the New York Central, in case Depew 
resigned that office. 

Chief among Major Webb's qualifications 
for this work is his devotion to business. His 
college training as an engineer has served him 
well, and his legal knowledge has been of great 
value to him in the two great emergencies 
which he was called of a sudden to face, when 
many of the employes of the road went out on 
strike. He lives not five minutes' walk from 
his office, and he is frequently there as early 



as 7 o'clock in the morning. In the summer, 
when he is at his country place, he takes the 
first train into the city, while the bankers and 
brokers and professional men who live near 
him, do not follow until two or three hours later. 
He rarely leaves his office before 6 o'clock, and 
sometimes is there until late at night. His 
office is a place of comfort, but not of lux- 
ury. Major Webb is democratic in his rela- 
tions with men, and none of the red tape 
which prevails in some of the great corpora- 
tion offices annoys visitors who desire to see 
him. If a delegation from the engineers or 
switchmen, or from any of the other employes 
call. Major Webb receives them in a manner 
which does not lower their self-respect. There 
is neither condescension nor haughtiness in 
his relations with them. Major Webb will 
receive hard-handed employes, and within an 
hour be in association with a group of million- 
aires, fellow-directors of his in the great bank 
which is located near his office, and his man- 
ner is the same in each case. He treats every- 
body in a business-like way. He is quick- 
spoken, prompt, decisive, without being curt 
or brusque. 

As a railroad man, he is what is called a 
flyer. Like William H. Vanderbilt, he is fond 
of going fast, and when business calls him to 
a remote point, he will order a locomotive 
attached to his special car, and within half an 
hour after the decision is taken, will be flying 
over the rails at the rate of a mile a minute. 
He is absolutely fearless in his travels, as 
William H. Vanderbilt was. Business men 
may see him in the afternoon of one day, and 
hear of him the next morning at Buffalo, 450 
miles away. This does not indicate restless- 
ness, but energy. Major AVebb is one of the 
most quiet, self-contained and serene-man- 
nered of all our railway managers. 

When, just after he became vice-president, 
he was called upon to face a most dangerous 
strike, railway men said that he had been 
put to the test too early, and some of them 
feared that he would not be equal to the 
responsibility. Depew was in Europe, Cor- 
nelius Vanderbilt in Newport, and members 
of the executive board scattered here and 



H. WALTER WEBB. 



l?7 



there. Major Webb immediately made of his 
office a campaign-place. He collected his 
staff about him. The strikers had control of 
the approaches to New York city, and traffic 
was paralyzed. He first took pains to dis- 
cover how many of the men were out, and 
also to learn what their precise grievance 
was. If it was a question of time or wages 
or any other thing over which there had been 
misunderstanding or business disagreement, 
he believed that the trouble could be speed- 
ily settled. He found, instead, that it was a 
matter of discipline, that the men protested 
against certain rules which the subordinate 
officers had found necessary, as they believed, 
in order to maintain discipline. The strikers 
objected to the discharge of certain men who 
were reported disobedient or incompetent, 
and when Major Webb heard this, he said, in 
a quiet way, to his staff : " This is a point 
this company cannot yield. The stockholders 
must retain the right to manage, in their own 
way, this property." 

Then he called upon his resources. He 
sent agents to procure men to take the places 
of the strikers. He called upon the police 
force of New York for protection, and got 
it. Night and day for seventy-two hours he 
left his office for only a few moments at a 
time. He caught catnaps, and two nights 
did not sleep a wink. And, when the rail- 
way men connected with other lines found 
out what he was doing, they said : " There 
is a young general in command at the Grand 
Central Station." 

In his conferences with leaders of labor 
associations. Major Webb's legal knowledge 
was of great service to him, and Mr. Powderly 
himself, who met him in conference several 
times, was greatly impressed by his tact, cool- 
ness, good temper, and his firmness as well. 

When Mr. Depew returned from Europe, 
not a sign of the strike appeared. Cornelius 
Vanderbilt, constantly informed over the wire 
at his Newport home of what was going on, 
deemed it unnecessary to come to the city. 

At the first mutterings of the strike in Buf- 
falo, information of which was sent to Major 
Webb by telegraph, he touched his electric bell. 



the messenger who answered received an order 
which was taken to the proper authority, and 
within half an hour Major Webb was aboard 
his private car, speeding over the tracks at the 
rate of fifty miles an hour; and before dawn 
next morning he was in Buffalo. His part in 
that convulsion is a matter of recent history, 
and unnecessary to describe here. 

In physical appearance, as his photogravure 
picture shows. Major Webb does not at all 
suggest the typical railway manager. He is of 
slight figure, medium stature, erect in carriage. 
He cares nothing for social pleasures of the 
fashionable set. His home and his office are 
his life. He is not a club man. He takes no 
conspicuous part in politics, although he has 
strong political views ; but it is safe to say that 
not a dozen men employed by his com- 
pany know whether he is a Republican or 
a Democrat. He is a strong churchman, 
being a vestryman, and one of the most 
active members of one of the New York 
uptown Episcopal churches; and if the 
millionaires contributed sums proportionate 
to their wealth as great as those he gives 
for church work, his church would have an 
enormous income. Major Webb is a great 
believer in the future possibilities of fast rail- 
way travel. He has studied this development 
with great care, and with such results that he 
is now running daily the fastest railway train 
in the world, making nearly a mile a minute 
consecutively for 450 miles. His experiments 
have shown that the old' idea that very fast 
traveling does not pay, is an error, but he says 
that in order to make it pay, the cars must be 
light but strong, the service sufficient but not 
luxurious, and the carrying capacity limited, 
so that an engine will not be compelled to 
draw too heavy a train. 

Chauncey M. Depew has the reputation of 
being the most accessible to newspaper men 
of all the distinguished men in New York, yet 
he is not more so than Major Webb. Any 
respectable newspaper man is welcome to his 
office at all times, and he treats such callers 
as though they were men, and like one who 
respects their calling. The reporter has yet to 
be found who has got of Major Webb a sug- 



128 



A SOUVENIR OF THE ST. LAWRENCE RIVER. 



gestion that a puff or a bit of praise would be 
pleasing. He will not talk about himself, but 
will cheerfully give all the news which he has, 
provided it is consistent with the policy of the 
road to make publication of it. If it is not 
consistent, he says frankly : " That is some- 
thing I cannot talk to you about just now. 
Perhaps I may be able to do so to-morrow." 

Perhaps this disposition is partly due to his 
recollection of the fact that his father was a 
newspaper man who always treated the hum- 
blest of reporters with great respect. At the 
time Gen. Webb was approaching death, and 
the various newspapers of New York sent re- 
portets to his home, so that immediate infor- 
mation of his death might be obtained. Gen. 
Webb used to say to his sons: "Are you tak- 
ing good care of the newspaper men? If any 
of them have to wait long, show them some 
hospitality. Give them a glass of Madeira 
and a sandwich or biscuit, and do not forget 
that the newspaper reporters as a class are 
hard-working, fair-minded, intelligent men, 
who should be treated exactly as any other 
business man is, who comes to you on business 
matters." Whether this injunction accounts 
for the treatment the Major and his brothers 
give newspaper men or not, the fact remains 
that they all are thus minded when they re- 
ceive representatives of the press. 

The general impression in railway circles 
is, that when President Depew retires from 
official connection with the New York Cen- 
tral, Major Webb will' be his successor. 

His Connection with the Roads of 
Northern New York. 

What we have thus far said relates to Mr. 
Webb's connection with the main lines of 
the Central corporation, the extent of which 
all our readers understand, for that system is 
one of the largest in the world, and is man- 
aged with a degree of judgment and practi- 
cal capacity that has elicited the wonder of 
travellers who are familiar with the great 
lines both in Europe and America. But it is 
in Major Webb's connection with our own 
northern line that he has been brought more 
directly into official relations with our own 



people. When the New York Central, on 
March 14, 1891, leased the lines of the R. 
W. & O. Road, Major Webb was placed in 
complete control of that entire system, and 
became the managing officer, the supreme 
executive head. Almost from the very week 
he assumed control, the beneficence of his 
management has made itself manifest. He 
began the great work of raising the newly- 
acquired property to the high standard of the 
trunk line. This necessitated new bridges, 
new rails, and the accomplishment of almost 
a process of new construction — entirely so in 
some localities. The outlay for these im- 
provements has been enormous, reaching 
$2,000,000 of which $600,000 has been ex- 
pended in the construction of new bridges, 
built of steel and iron. The bridges upon the 
whole line are now as good as any in the 
country. 

The entire road-bed has been re-ballasted, 
and in most of it new ties have been placed, 
and the number of the same per mile has been 
increased. New steel rails have been laid, 
weighing 70 and 72 pounds to the lineal yard, 
and the equipment has been correspondingly 
improved by the addition of standard locomo- 
tives of the heaviest pattern, which could not 
be run over the old R. W. & O. , but wh'ich now, 
under the new improvements — steel rails, 
perfect road-bed, and strong bridges — are 
allowed to run at high speed, and haul heavy 
trains. New passenger cars have been added ; 
in fact, the road has been virtually re-con- 
structed. Freight rates have been reduced, 
and the general conditions have been greatly 
improved. Among other things, several enter- 
prises in Northern New York have been as- 
sisted ; and all this has been done by hard 
work, and under the plans made and super- 
vised by Mr. Webb. 

For such labors, so well done, too much 
praise cannot be^ given this young man, who 
might have chosen ease, but prefers work. 
All that he touches he benefits. He has raised 
the old R., W. & O. R. R. system from a de- 
caying condition, with worn material and 
weak bridges, to become a grand roadway in 
itself, the natural ally of the great trunk sys- 



THEODORE BUTTERFIELD. 



129 



tem with which it makes close connections, 
with vestibuled trains, and in summer with its 
steady-running " flyers " that cross the country 
at forty miles an hour in entire safety. The 
value of such a system, so connected, adds to 
the value of every acre of land in Northern 
New York, and is of interest to the poorest 
man as well as to the richest. The remark- 
able freedom from personal accidents to pas- 
sengers during the year 1894 affords the best 
possible guaranty that the system is well and 
safely managed. Speed and comfort are two 
conditions demanded by modern travellers; 
but the perfect combination is a rare one. On 
most American railroads, high speed is only 
possible at the expense of danger and discom- 
fort. To combine comfort and safety with 
the greatest speed, perfect equipment and 
absence of sharp curves are necessary. This 
is certainly the case with the R., W. & O. sys- 



tem. Its great eastern and western outlets, 
the New York Central and Hudson River 
Roads, hold the world's championship for 
long distance fast trains, won by recent im- 
provements in equipment and locomotive- 
building, that fairly mark an epoch in railroad- 
ing ; and its hundred-ton engines, borne on 
massive rails weighing 120 pounds per yard, 
now skim with perfect safety around curves at 
the rate of fifty-five miles an hour. The solid- 
est of road-beds is needed to withstand this 
marvelous speed, and to bear the enormous 
locomotives and trains ; what it does with 
safety is impossible to other railroads of in- 
ferior equipment, or built vtfith sharp curves. 
Excepting the Great Western of Canada, 
which has one air-line reach of 100 miles, the 
New York Central straight tracks exceed those 
of any other railroad in the world. 

J. A. H. 



THEODORE BUTTERFIELD. 



Mr. BUTTERFIELD comes into the transpor- 
tation system of Northern New York by what 
may be called "natural inheritance." His 
grandfather, the Honorable John Butterfield, 
of Utica, was the originator of the American 
Express Company, which was started under 
the firm of Wells, Butterfield & Company. 
He also raised the money and built the first 
Western Union Telegraph Line, which was 
called the Morse Line Telegraph at that time, 
and was a director in the New York Central 
in its early stages, and one of the promoters 
and capitalists who built the Utica and Black 
River road, which started in opposition to the 
Rome and Watertovvn road, because they 
could not agree on a starting point, as the 
capitalists of Northern New York wanted to 
start from Herkimer ; the Utica people would 
not hear to that, and were bound to start from 
Utica ; so the other people started from 
Rome, and the Utica people, not to be out- 
done, started their road from Utica, which 
was built up to Boonville, and finally extended 
to Ogdensburgh, Clayton and Sackets Har- 



bor. John Butterfield also started and owned 
the famous Pony Express or Ov-erland Mail, 
which was the precursor of the Pacific rail- 
roads. 

Theodore Butterfield's uncle, Major-Gen eral 
Daniel Butterfield, was the first general super- 
intendent of the American Express Company, 
and also was chief of staff of the various com- 
manders of the Army of the Potomac, and 
gave the celebrated order, by direction of 
General Meade, to the corps commanders to 
fight Lee at Gettysburg, the battle that nearly 
broke the back of the Confederacy. 

Mr. Butterfield has been connected with 
the railroads of Northern New York for 20. 
years. He began as chief clerk in the ac- 
counting department of the old Utica & Black 
River railroad, at Utica, and was soon after 
made general ticket agent, and then general 
passenger agent of that road ; and, as the road 
grew, he was made general freight and passen- 
ger agent. He remained in that position until 
the consolidation with the Rome, Watertown 
& Ogdensburg railroad, when he was ap- 



I30 



A SOUVENIR OF THE ST. LAWRENCE RIVER. 



pointed general passenger agent of the R., W. 
& O. R. R., and has held that position under 
the consolidation of that system with the New 
Yoi-k Central & Hudson River R. R.'s. 
When first appointed he was the youngest 
general ticket agent in the United States. 
His experience as assistant to the general 
superintendent, and in the operating depart- 



cursions, such as the New York, Washington 
and Chicago excursions ; and the idea of 
attaching sleeping-cars and drawing-room cars 
to excursion trains, now generally adopted, 
originated with him. 

At the time of his appointment he was the 
youngest general passenger agent in the United 
States. He is beyond all doubt the most popu- 




THEODORE BUTTERFIELD. 



ment of the Utica & Black River railroad, 
made him familiar with all departments of 
railroading, and that is the secret of his suc- 
cess in the passenger business, as he thor- 
oughly understands the details in railroading, 
and has in addition rare executive ability. 
He is the originator of the long-distance ex- 



lar railroad man in Northern New York, the 
best known and most appreciated. With a clear 
head and ample knowledge of all railroad 
matters, his suggestions at the meetings of the 
passenger agents of the whole country are 
always listened to with the closest attention, 
and usually adopted. 



COLONEL ZEBULON HOWELL BENTON. 



131 




COL. ZEBULON HOWELL BENTON. 



COLONEL ZEBULON HOWELL BENTON. 

[Copied from Wallace's Guide to the Adirondacks.] 



There was probably no more romantic, 
picturesque or conspicuous figure connected 
with the chronicles of Lake Bonaparte than 
Colonel Zebulon H. Benton. The accom- 
panying engraving faithfully represents his 
appearance in daily life. He invariably 
dressed with the nicest regard to minute par- 



ticulars, in peaked felt hat, long black coat 
and ruffled shirt — every article faultlessly 
neat. With his fresh, ruddy complexion, 
clean-shaven face, rich growth of snow-white 
hair, graceful carriage, and form almost as 
lithe and perfect, at the ripe age of 82, as if 
in the flower of youth and strength, he seemed 



132 



A SOUVENIR OF THE ST. LAWRENCE RIVER. 



the embodiment of a gentleman of the old 
regime. 

Colonel Benton was born in Apulia, N. Y., 
January 27, 181 1, and the details of his check- 
ered life would fill a book. We can only 
briefly allude to the following facts: He was 
a cousin of Thomas Hart Benton, the great 
Missouri statesman, and consequently a kins- 
man of his daughter, Jessie Benton Fremont, 
the noted wife of the famous "Pathfinder." 
In the war of the Rebellion he received an 
appointment on the staff of General Fremont, 
but before he could arrange to take the posi- 
tion the general was suspended. He was 
also a relative of the eminent novelist, James 
Fenimore Cooper. From his very boyhood 
he led an extremely active life, and before he 
was fairly out of his teens he was entrusted 
by his employers with commissions of the ut- 
most importance, which he brought to suc- 
cessful consummation. He was engaged 
from time to time in great enterprises, espe- 
cially those of land, mining and railroading. 
The capital invested in these sometimes ex- 
ceeded a million dollars. His ventures, often 
gigantic, were not confined to Lewis and St. 
Lawrence counties, but extended into the 
Canadas, to the Gulf of Mexico, and even 
into South America. The mines at Rossie, 
Clifton, Jayville and Alpine are examples of 
these operations. We are convinced that the 
Carthage & Adirondack Railway owes its ex- 
istence to Colonel Benton and to Hon. Joseph 
Pahud, of Harrisville, N. Y., as they were 
unceasing in their efforts to establish that line 
to the Jayville mines. 

From the Carthage Republican, Philadel- 
phia Press and other reliable sources, we glean 
the following interesting information: Soon 
after the arrival of Joseph Bonaparte in this 
country, he met and loved a beautiful Quak- 
eress, by the name of Annette Savage, a 
member of a family of high respectability, re- 
siding in Philadelphia, descendants of the 
celebrated Indian princess, "Pocahontas. They 
were subsequently married in private by a 
justice of the peace in that city. Two 
daughters were the fruit of this union, one of 
whom died in infancy. The other was chris- 



tened Charlotte C Soon after arriving at 
maturity, she became the wife of Colonel Ben- 
ton. Their marriage resulted in seven chil- 
dren. The five surviving bear the appropri- 
ate names of Josephine Charlotte, Zenaide 
Bonaparte, Louis Joseph, Zebulon Napoleon 
and Thomas Hart. 

Mrs. Benton, having obtained a letter of 
introduction from General Grant to Hon. 
Elihu B. Washburn, United States Minister 
to France, and one also from Dr. J. DeHaven 
White, the eminent Philadelphia dentist, to 
his former pupil, Dr. Evans, the dental sur- 
geon of Louis Napoleon, repaired to Paris in 
1869. She obtained audience with the Em- 
peror, and received immediate recognition as 
the daughter of Joseph Bonaparte; and by his 
imperial will and the laws of France, the 
union of her parents was confirmed and her 
legitimacy established. Honored by an invi- 
tation to attend the French court, she and 
two of her children were there kindly and 
cordially entertained by the Emperor and Em- 
press, who presented her with valuable sou- 
venirs upon the occasion. Napoleon often 
expressed great regret that he did not know 
his cousin earlier, so that he might the sooner 
have bestowed upon her children the places 
to which, by birth, they were entitled. He 
presented her with her father's palace ; but 
this was lost through the downfall of the em- 
pire and of that ill-fated royal family. Mrs. 
Benton attended Napoleon during his impris- 
onment in Germany, and a short time after- 
ward (1871) returned to America. She was 
a woman of remarkable beauty and talent, 
and of most lovely characteristics. Her eyes 
were large, dark and lustrous, and, like the 
Colonel's, never dimmed by age. Receiving 
a fine education, in Europe and in this coun- 
try, she early developed great versatility in 
writing. Many brilliant articles in various 
papers and magazines were the productions of 
her pen, and she was the author of a book of 
rare merit, entitled " France and her People." 
She died December 25, 1890, at Richfield 
Springs. Her husband, the subject of this 
sketch, died May 16, 1893, closing an unique, 
interesting and wonderfully romantic life. 



BURNING OF THE STEAMER "SIR ROBERT PEEL.' 



133 



BURNING OF THE STEAMER "SIR ROBERT PEEL." 



[See Article on 

^N the 29th day of December, 1837, the 
steamer Caroline, an American steam- 
boat, while lying tied to the wharf at Schlosser, 
a port on the Niagara river below Buffalo, was 
boarded by a band of Canadians, robbed, set 
fire to, cut loose from her moorings, and sent 
burning over Niagara Falls. This caused 
great indignation throughout the country, and 
added much to the excitement consequent 
on the breaking out of the so-called Patriot 
war, which was a weak rebellion on the part 
of some dissatisfied Canadians, with which a 
number of United States citizens very fool- 
ishly took sides. The steamer Sir Robert 
Peel was new and stanch, built at Brockville 
only the year before, and owned by both 
Canadian and American citizens. She was 
sailed by Capt. John B. Armstrong. Starting 
from Prescott on the afternoon of the 29th of ■ 
May, 1838, she touched at Brockville on her 
way to Toronto, having on board a cargo 
and nineteen passengers. She arrived at 
McDonnell's wharf at midnight to take on 
wood. It had been hinted to the captain be- 
fore leaving Brockville that there was danger 
ahead, but he disregarded the warning. The 
passengers were asleep in the cabin, and the 
crew had almost finished their labor of taking 
on wood, when a party of twenty-two men, 
disguised and painted like Indians and armed 
with muskets and bayonets, rushed on board, 
yelling like savages, and shouting, " Remember 
the Caroline !" They drove the passengers 
and crew ashore, allowing but little time for 
the removal of baggage belonging to them, the 
most of which was lost. The steamer was 
fired in several places, and the party left in 
two boats, steering for Abel's Island, about 
four miles away, which they reached at sun- 
rise. The ill-fated steamer sunk in mid-chan- 
nel but a short distance below the wharf 
where she was captured, and there she now 
lies twenty fathoms deep, while we sail to and 
fro directly over her wreck. 

The leader of this party was William John- 



Patriot W^ar.] 

ston, better known to fame, or notoriety rather, 
as " Bill Johnston," a Canadian outlaw, 
around whose career, and that of his daughter 
Kate, the once famous novelist," Ned Buntline" 
(E. Z. C. Judson), threw a halo of mystery 
and romance. Bill Johnston was born at 
Three Rivers, Lower Canada, February i, 
1782. His parents removed to Kingston in 
1784, and at the breaking out of the war of 
1812, he was a grocer in Kingston, and a 
member of a military company. For an act 
of insubordination, it is said, though what was 
its nature is not now apparent, he was tried by 
a court-martial, lodged in jail, and his prop- 
erty confiscated. Escaping thence he came 
to the States, and became the bitterest and 
most vindictive foe Canada ever had. He 
acted as a spy for the Americans during 
the war of 1812-15, robbed the British mails, 
and committed every depredation possible 
upon Canada and Canadians. After the 
burning of the Sir Robert Peel, he was out- 
lawed by both the United States and Canadian 
governments, who tried in every way possible 
to effect his capture; but his hiding places 
were so numerous, and so many were his per- 
sonal friends, that, with the aid of his daugh- 
ter Kate, who kept him supplied with food, 
which she took to him in the dead of night in 
her skiff alone, and with news of his enemies, 
also, that they succeeded in capturing him but 
twice, both of which times he escaped; though 
if the stories told of his hair-breadth escapes, 
whether true or not, were written down, they 
would.fill a book. Finally, when matters be- 
came quiet, he returned to his home in Clay- 
ton, and in time was appointed keeper of the 
Rock Island light, whose rays illumine the 
very spot over which once shone the light of 
the burning steamer Sir Robert Peel. 

The descendants of Johnston are now resi- 
dents of Clayton, where they have been for 
years honorable and efficient citizens. The 
original William was a " good hater," as shown 
by his bitter denunciation of everything British. 



134 



A SOUVENIR OF THE ST. LAWRENCE RIVER. 



But stepping aside from the mere person- 
alities concerned in such an affair as the burn- 
ing of the "Peel," and the other burning and 
murder which precedes that episode, to-wit, 
the burning of the " Caroline " at Schlosser 
landing in the Niagara River — it is disheart- 
ening to consider how strongly such unlawful 
acts appeal to the sympathy of the reckless 
characters to be found in every community, 
and that from such small beginnings wars are 
sometimes begun among great nations. The 
affair of 1837, the lawless efforts of a few in- 
vading marauders upon the soil of Canada, 
came near precipitating England and the 



United States into a conflict ot arms which 
would have been deploralile even if our cause 
were just. But at that time the prejudices of 
the American masses were all wrong, and it is 
curious reading at this day to go over the 
newspapers of that era, nearly all of them 
sympathizing with the invaders, who were 
honored by being called "patriots." Robbers 
would have been a more appropriate designa- 
tion. But the fate of the poor fellows who 
were sent to the then penal colony of Van 
Dieman's land, now Australia, will probably 
have a weakening effect upon any future 
undertaking of that kind. 



GENERAL WILLIAM H. ANGELL 



Was long prominently connected with the 
interests of the St. Lawrence, and legitimately 
belongs with those who are entitled to promi- 
nent remembrance in any history of the 
Upper St. Lawrence and of the Thousand 
Islands. He is remembered with pleasure by 
the older citizens of Clayton and of Jefferson 
county, for he \va.% a man of great business 
capacity and force. Many buildings in 
Watertown bear silent witness of his manner 
of construction — notably the Taggart Bros', 
mill at the lower falls, and the water-reservoir, 
now over forty years in use. He was born in 
Burlington, Otsego county, N. Y., in 1797, one 
of a family of ten children. When only ten 
years of age he left home, and thenceforward 
earned not only his own living, but helped to 
care for the less able members of the family. 
At fourteen he gave his father $200 for his 
" time " — that is, for the time he would be a 
minor, and his father would, therefore, be 
legally entitled to his earnings. The General 
came into Jefferson county about 181 5. He 
first located at Smithville, where he went into 
business with old-time Jesse Smith. When 
less than twenty years of age he bought over 
$5,000 worth of goods, and from Smithville, 
went to Clayton. Several years later (about 
1834) he was at Sackets Harbor. In 1824 he 
had married Miss Harriet Warner. Seven 
children were born to this union, four of whom 



are still living. While at Sackets Harbor the 
General became associated in the manage- 
ment of the Sackets Harbor Bank, which was 
later merged into the Bank of Watertown, of 
which, about 1842, General Angell became 
sole owner. In 1858 his beloved wife died — 
a lady well remembered in Watertown for her 
devotion to charity and Christian works. 
The deserving poor never had a better friend, 
for what she gave was given with a grace and 
gentleness that made the action doubly en- 
dearing. 

In i860. General Angell married Miss M. 
Louise Judson, cousin of the late Gen. R. W. 
Judson, of Ogdensburg. She was an accom- 
plished lady, the pattern for a kind, dutiful 
wife. In 1861, at the beginning of the civil 
war, the General removed to New York, 
where he become interested in several city 
contracts, and in 1862 he removed his family 
to that city, which was thenceforth his home. 
By nature he was too active to relish a life of 
idleness, and he took up several means of ac- 
quiring wealth, among others extending the 
circulation of his bank from $29,000 to 
f8o,ooo. He was also largely interested in 
the Continental Steel Works at Maspeth, 
Long Island. In 1863 the imposition of a tax 
of ten per cent upon the circulation of State 
Banks, drove them out of business. In 1871, 
General Angell had accumulated enough 



GENERAL WILLIAM H. ANGELL. 



135 



means to make home comfortable, and in that 
year he removed to Geneseo, expecting to 
spend there several years in the enjoyment of 
needed rest and a release from the cares of 
business. But his hopes were to be disap- 
pointed. On the ist of July, 1872, he was 



his home early in life, instead of Watertown, 
he would have taken rank with George Law 
and the elder Vanderbilt, for he was their 
superior in shrewdness of management, in 
perspicuity, in ability to predict the rise or 
fall of cereals or articles of general consump- 




GENERAL WILLIAM H. ANGELL 



taken ill, and after great suffering, died at 
Geneseo on November 26, 1872. 

Viewed in the light of his varied and event- 
ful career, General Angell was a character 
difficult to reproduce. He had a noble soul, 
which scorned little things. He was undoubt- 
edly-superior to the average able business men 
of his day — and had he made New York city 



tion. He was a firm friend, and he had many 
friends, for he was a friendly man, democra- 
tic in his ways, easily approached, never 
elated by success, nor intimidated by adver- 
sity. From 1820 to 1861, he was a conspicu- 
ous figure in Jefferson county, and his re- 
moval was a source of sincere regret. 

J. A. H. 



THE WHITTLESEY AFFAIR. 



IN giving an extended notice of this Whit- 
tlesey episode, we are perhaps open to the 
criticism of making a great deal out of a com- 
paratively unimportant matter; but there is so 
much of tragedy in the story, and it affords 
so striking an illustration of the soul-destroy- 
ing influence of a dishonest greed for money, 
that the tale rises above a mere relation, and 
becomes a great moral lesson. In that light 
we present it as a legitimate chapter of history. 
Samuel Whittlesey, originally from Tolland, 
Ct., had removed, about 1808, to Watertown, 
and engaged in business as a lawyer. On the 
i2th of February, 1811, he received the ap- 
pointment of district attorney for the territory 
comprised in Lewis, Jefferson and St. Law- 
rence counties, and on the 6th of February, 
1813, he was superseded by the appointment 
of Amos Benedict, who had preceded him. 
Events connected with this, led to some sym- 
pathy for him, and the office of brigade pay- 
master, which had been tendered to Mr. Jason 
Fairl)anks, was by him declined in favor of 
Whittlesey, and he, with Perley Keyes, be- 
came security for the honest discharge of the 
duties of the office. At the close of the war 
a large amount of money being due to the 
drafted militia, for services on the frontier, 
Whittlesey went to New York, accompanied 
by his wife, to obtain the money, and received 
at the Merchants' Bank in that city $30,000, 
in one, two, three, five and ten-dollar bills, 
with which he started to return. At Schenec- 
nectady, as was afterwards learned, his wife 
reported themselves robbed of $8,700, an oc- 
currence which greatly distressed and alarmed 
him, but she advised him not to make it pub- 
lic at that moment, as they might thereby 



better take steps that might lead to its re- 
covery, and on the way home, she in an art- 
ful and gradual manner persuaded him that 
"if they should report the robbery of a part 
of the money, no one would believe it, as a 
thief would take the whole, if any. In short 
(to use a homely proverb), she urged that 
they might as well " die for an old sheep^ 
as a lamb," and keep the rest, as they would 
inevitably be accused of taking a part. Her 
artifice, enforced by the necessities of the 
case, took effect, and he suffered himself to- 
become the dupe of his wife, who was doubt- 
less the chief contriver of the movements 
wl;ich followed. Accordingly, on his return, 
he gave out word that his money had been 
procured, and would be paid over as soon as 
the necessary papers and pay-roll could be 
prepared. In a few days, having settled his 
arrangements, he started for Trenton on 
horseback, with his portmanteau filled, stop- 
ping at various places on his way, to announce 
that on a given day he would return, to pay 
to those entitled, their dues, and in several in- 
stances evinced a carelessness about the cus- 
tody of his baggage that excited remark from: 
inn-keepers, and others. On arriving at Bill- 
ings' tavern at Trenton, he assembled several 
persons to whom money was due, and pro- 
ceeded to pay them, but upon opening his 
portmanteau, he, to the dismay of himself 
and others, found that they had been ripped 
open, and that the money was gone! With a, 
pitiable lamentation and well-affected sorrow, 
he bewailed the robbery, instantly despatched 
messengers in quest of the thief, offered 
$2,000 reward for his apprehension, and ad- 
vertised in staring handbills throughout the 



THE WHITTLESEY AFFAIR. 



137 



country, in hopes of gaining some clew that 
would enable him to recover his treasure. In 
this anxiety he was joined by hundreds of 
others, who had been thus indefinitely delayed 
in the receipt of their needed and rightful 
dues, but although there was no lack of zeal 
in these efforts, yet nothing occurred upon 
which to settle suspicion, and with a heavy 
heart, and many a sigh and tear, he returned 
home, and related to his family and friends 
his ruin. As a natural consequence, the 
event became at once the absorbing theme of 
the country, for great numbers were affected 
in their pecuniary concerns by it, and none 
more than the two endorsers of the sureties 
of Whittlesey. These gentlemen, who were 
shrewd, practical and very observing men, 
immediately began to interrogate him, singly 
and alone, into the circumstance of the jour- 
ney and the robbery, and Fairbanks in par- 
ticular, whose trade as a saddler led him to be 
minutely observant of the qualities and ap- 
pearances of leather, made a careful examin- 
ation of the incisions in the portmonteau, of 
which there were two, tracing upon paper 
their exact size and shape, and upon close ex- 
amination, noticed pin holes in the margin, as 
if they had been mended up. Upon compar- 
ing the accounts which each had separately 
obtained in a long and searching conversatton, 
these men became convinced that the money 
had not been stolen in the manner alleged, but 
that it was still in the possession of Whittle- 
sey and his wife. To get possession of this 
money was their next care, and, after long 
consultation, it was agreed that the only way 
to do this, was to gain the confidence of the 
family, and defend them manfully against the 
insinuations that came from all quarters that 
the money was still in town. In this they 
succeeded admirably, and from the declar- 
ations which they made in public and in pri- 
vate, which found their way directly back to 
the family, the latter were convinced that, 
although the whole world were against them 
in their misfortunes, yet they had the satis- 
faction to know that the two men who were 
the most interested were still by their side. 
To gain some fact that would lead to a knowl- 



edge of the place of deposit, Messrs. Fair- 
banks and Keyes agreed to listen at t-he win- 
dow of the sleeping room of those suspected, 
which was in a chamber, and overlooked the 
roof of a piazza. Accordingly, after dark, 
one would call upon the family and detain 
them in conversation, while the other mounted 
a ladder and placed himself where he could 
overhear what was said within, and although 
they thus became convinced that the money 
was still in their possession, no opinion could 
be formed about the hiding place. Security 
upon their real estate was demanded, and 
readily given. 

A son of the family held a commission in 
the navy, and was on the point of sailing for 
the Mediterranean, and it was suspected that 
the money might thus have been sent off, to 
ascertain which, Mr. Fairbanks, under pre- 
text of taking a criminal to the State Prison, 
went to New York, made inquiries which sat- 
isfied him that the son was innocent of any 
knowledge of the affair, and ascertained at 
the bank the size of the packages taken. He 
had been told by Whittlesey that these had 
not been opened when stolen, and by making 
experiments with blocks of wood of the same 
dimensions, they readily ascertained that 
bundles of that size could not be got through 
an aperture of the size reported, and that in- 
stead of a seven it required an eighteen-inch 
slit in the leather to allow of their being ex- 
tracted. Some facts were gleaned at Albany 
that shed further light, among which it was 
noticed that Mrs. Whittlesey at her late visit 
(although very penurious in her trade) had 
been very profuse in her expenses. After a 
ten-days' absence Mr. Fairbanks returned; his 
partner having listened nights meanwhile, and 
the intelligence gained by eves-dropping, al- 
though it failed to disclose the locality of the 
lost money, confirmed their suspicions. As 
goods were being boxed up at Whittlesey's 
house at a late hour in the night, and the 
daughters had already been sent on to Sack- 
ets Harbor, it was feared that the family 
would soon leave ; decisive measures were 
resolved upon to recover the money, the 
ingenuity and boldness of which evince ths 



138 



A SOUVENIR OF THE ST. LAWRENCE RIVER. 



sagacity and energy of the parties. Some 
method to decoy Whittlesey from home, and 
frighten him by threats, mutilation or tor- 
ture, into a confession, was discussed, but as 
the latter might cause an uncontrollable hem- 
orrhage, it was resolved to try the effect of 
drowning. Some experiments were made 
on their own persons, of the effect of submer- 
sion of the head, and Dr. Sherwood, a 
physician of the village, was consulted on the 
time life would remain under water. Having 
agreed upon a plan, on the evening before its 
execution, they repaired to a lonely place 
about a mile south of the village, screened 
from the sight of houses by a gentle rise of 
ground, and where a spring issued from the 
bank and flowed off through a miry slough, 
in which, a little below, they built a dam of 
turf that formed a shallow pool. It was ar- 
ranged that Mr. Fairbanks should call upon 
Whittlesey, to confer with him on some 
means of removing the suspicions which the 
public had settled upon him, by obtaining 
certificates of character from leading citizens 
and officers of the army ; and that the two 
were to repair to Mr. Keyes's house, which 
was not far from the spring. Mr. Keyes was 
to be absent repairing his fence, and to leave 
word with his wife that if any one inquired 
for him, to send them into the field where he 
was at work. Neither had made confidants 
in their suspicions or their plans, except that 
Mr. Keyes thought it necessary to reveal 
them to his son, P. Gardner Keyes, then seven- 
teen years of age, whose assistance he might 
need, in keeping up appearances, and in 
whose sagacity and fidelity in keeping a secret 
he could rely. 

Accordingly, on the morning of July 17th 
(1815), Mr. Keyes, telling his wife that the 
cattle had broken into his grain, shouldered 
his axe and went to repnir the fence which 
was thrown down, and Mr. Fairbanks called 
upon Whittlesey, engaged him in conversa- 
tion, as usual, and without exciting the 
slightest suspicion, induced him to go up to 
see his partner, whom they found in a distant 
part of the field at work. Calling him to 
them, they repaired as if casually to the 



spring, where, after some trifling remark, they 
explicitly charged him with the robbery, gave 
their reasons for thinking so, and told hira 
that if he did not instantly disclose the local- 
ity of the money, the pool before him should 
be his grave. This sudden and unexpected 
charge frightened their victim; but with a 
look of innocence he exclaimed, " I know 
nothing of the matter. " This was no sooner 
said than he was rudely seized by Mr. Keyes 
and plunged headforemost into the pool, and 
after some seconds withdrawn. Being again 
interrogated, and assured that if the money 
were restored, no legal proceedings would be 
instituted, he again protested his innocence, 
and was a second time plunged in, held under 
several moments and again withdrawn, but 
this time insensible, and for one or two min- 
utes it was doubtful whether their threats had 
not been executed; but he soon evinced signs 
of life, and so far recovered as to be able to 
sit up and speak. Perhaps nothing but the 
certain knowledge of his guilt, which they 
possessed, would have induced them to pro- 
ceed further; but they were men of firmness, 
and resolved to exhaust their resource of ex- 
pedients, rightly judging that a guilty con- 
science could not long hold out against the 
prospect of speedy death. He was accord- 
ingly addressed by Mr. Keyes in tones and 
emphasis of sober earnest, and exhorted for 
the last time to save himself from being hur- 
ried before the tribunal of Heaven, laden with 
guilt — to disclose at once. In feeble tones he 
re-asserted his innocence, and was again col- 
lared and plunged in, but this time his body 
only was immersed. It had been agreed in 
his hearing, that Fairbanks (being without a 
family) should remain to accomplish the 
work, by treading him into the bottom of the 
slough, while Keyes was to retire, so that 
neither could be a witness of murder if appre- 
hended; and that on a given day they were to 
meet in Kingston. Keyes paid over about 
$90 to bear expenses of travel, and was about 
to leave, when the wretched man, seeing 
these serious arrangements, and at length be- 
lieving them to be an awful reality, exclaimed, 
" I'll tell you all about it ! " Upon this, he 



THE WHITTLESEY AFFAIR. 



139 



*^as withdrawn, and when a little recovered, 
he confessed, that all but about $9,000 (which 
he now, for the first time, stated to have been 
stolen at Schenectady), would be found either 
under a hearth at his house, or quilted into a 
pair of drawers in his wife's possession. Mr. 
Keyes, leaving his prisoner in charge of his 
associate, started for the house, and was seen 
by his wife, coming across the fields, covered 



Hutchinson and John M. Canfield, the facts, 
and with them repaired to the house of Whit- 
tlesey. Seeing them approach, Mrs. Whittle- 
sey fled to her chamber, and on their knocking 
for admission, she replied that she was chang- 
ing her dress, and would meet them shortly. 
As it was not the time or place for the observ- 
ance of etiquette, Mr. Keyes rudely burst 
open the door, and entering, found her recliti- 




THE "BON voyage" ENTERING ALEXANDRIA BAY. 



with mud, and, to use the words of the latter, 
"looking like a murderer; " and although in 
feeble health, and scarcely able to walk, she 
met him at the door, and inquired with alarm, 
"What have you been doing?" He briefly 
replied, " We have had the old fellow under 
water, and made him own where the money 
is; " and hastily proceeding to the village, re- 
lated in a few words to his friends. Dr. Paul 



ing on the bed. Disregarding her expostula- 
tions of impropriety, he rudely proceeded to 
search, and soon found between the straw and 
feather bed, upon which she lay, a quilted 
garment, when she exclaimed : " You've got 
it! My God, have I come to this?" The 
drawers bore the initials of Col. Tuttle, who 
had died in that house, under very suspicious 
circumstances ; were fitted with two sets of 



I40 



A SOUVENIR OF THE ST. LAWRENCE RIVER. 



buttons, for either the husband or wife to 
wear, and contained about thirty parcels of 

bills, labelled, " For my dear son C , 250 

of 5; " " For my dear daughter E , 150 of 

3," etc., amounting to $15,000 to her five 
children; the remainder being reserved for 
her own use. The garment also contained a 
most extraordinary document, which might be 
called Her Will, and about which she ex- 
pressed the most urgent solicitude, implor- 
ing, "That you have children as well as 
me ! " It was soon after published in the 
papers, and was as follows: 

"It is my last and dying request, that my children 
shall have all the money that is contained in the 
papers which have their names on, which is $3,000 
for each: and let there be pains and caution, and a 
great length of time taken to exchange it in. God 
and my own heart knows the misery I have suffered 
in consequence of it, and that it was much against 
my will that it should be done. I have put all that 
is in the same bank by it, that I had from prudence, 
and a great number of years been gathering up; and 
when I used to meet with a bill on that bank in your 
possession, or when I could, I used to exchange 
others for them, as I supposed it was the best, and 
would be the most permament bank. You know 
the reason of your taking this %vas, that we supposed 
that from the lock of the small trunk being broken, 
and the large one being all loose, and the nails out, 
that we were robbed on the road of $8,700. You 
know that I always told you, that I believed it was 
done in the yard, where you, as I told you then, put 
the wagon imprudently in Schenectady. Oh! how 
much misery am I born to see, through all your im- 
proper conduct, which I am forced to conceal from the 
view of the world, for the sake of my beloved off- 
springs' credit, and whereby I have got enemies un- 
deservedly, while the public opinion was in your favor! 
But it fully evinces what false judgments the world 
m:ikes. Oh ! the God who tries the hearts, and 
searches the veins of the children of men, knows 
that the kind of misery which I have suffered, and 
which has riled and soured my temper, and has 
made me appear cross and morose to the public eye, 
has all proceeded from you, and fixed in my counten- 
ance the mark of an ill-natured disposition, which 
was naturally formed for loves, friendships, and 
other refined sensations. How have I falsified the 
truth, that you mia;ht appear to every advantage, at 
the risk and ill-opinion of the sensible world towards 
myself, when my conscience was telling me I was 
doing wrong; and which, with everything else that 
I have suffered since I have been a married woman, 
has worn me down and kept me out of health; and 



now, oh! now, this last act is bringing me to my 
grave fast. I consented because you had placed me 
in the situation you did. In the first place you were 
delinquent in the payment to the government of 
eighteen or nineteen hundred dollars. Then this al- 
most $9,000 missing, I found when you came to 
settle, that you never could make it good without 
sacrificing me and my children, was the reason I 
consented to the proposal. I did you the justice to 
believe that the last sum had not been missing, that 
you would not have done as you did' but I am 
miserable! God grant that my dear children may 
never fall into the like error that their father has, 
and their poor unfortunate mother consented to ! 
May the Almighty forgive us both, for I freely for- 
give you all you have made me suffer." 

The money being counted, and to their 
surprise found to embrace a part of the sum 
supposed to be stolen, Mr. Keyes went back 
to release Whittlesey. The latter, meanwhile, 
had related the circumstances of the robbery, 
and anxiously inquired whether, if the whole 
was not found, they would still execute their 
purpose; to which Mr. Fairbanks replied in 
a manner truly characteristic, " that will de- 
pend on circumstances." No one was more 
surprised than Whittlesey himself, to learn 
that most of the money was found, and that 
he had been robbed at Schenectady by his 
own wife. He begged hard to be released on 
the spot, but it was feared he would commit 
suicide, and he was told that he must be de- 
livered up to the public as sound as he was 
taken, and was led home. The fame of this 
discovery soon spread, and it was with diffi- 
culty the villagers were restrained from evinc- 
ing their joy by the discharge of cannon. 
Mr. Whittlesey was led home and placed 
with a guard in the room with his wife, until 
further search ; and here the most bitter 
criminations were exchanged, each charging 
the other with the crime, and the wife up- 
braiding the husband with cowardice for re- 
vealing the secret. The guard being with- 
drawn in the confusion that ensued, Mrs. 
Whittlesey passed from the house, and was 
seen by a person at a distance to cross the 
cemetery of Trinity church, where, on pass- 
ing the grave of a son, she paused, faltered 
and fell back, overwhelmed with awful 
emotion ; but a moment after, gathering new 



THE WHITTLESEY AFFAIR. 



141 



energy, she hastened on, rushed down the 
high bank near the ice-cave, and plunged into 
the river. Her body was found floating near 
the lower bridge, and efforts were made to 
recover life, but it was extinct. 

The sympathies of the public were not 
withheld from the children of this family, 
who were thus cast penniless and disgraced 
upon the world. Many details connected 
with the affair we have not given ; among 
which were several attempts to throw sus- 
picion upon several parties by depositing 
money on their premises, writing anonymous 
letters, etc.; which served but to aggravate 
the crime by betraying the existence of a de- 
pravity on the part of the chief contriver in 
the scheme, which has seldom or never been 
equaled. The marked bills amounting to 
$400 had been dropped on the road to Sack- 
ets Harbor, and were found by Mr. Gale, who 
prudently carried them to a witness, counted 
and sealed them and after the disclosure 
brought them forward. Mr. Whittlesey 
stated that he expected some one would find 
and use the money, when he could swear to 
the marks, and implicate the finder. Mr. 
Gale, upon hearing this, was affected to tears, 
and exclaimed: "Mr. Whittlesey, is it pos- 
sible you would have been so wicked as to 
have sworn me to State Prison for being 
honest ! " 

Mr. Whittlesey remained in Watertown 
nearly a year, and then moved to Indiana, 
where he afterwards became a justice of the 
peace and a county judge, and by an exem- 
plary life won the respect of the community; 
and although the details of this affair followed 



him, yet the censure of opinion rested upon 
the wife. 

Congress, on the nth of January, 182 1, 
passed an act directing the Secretary of the 
Treasury to cancel and surrender the bond 
given by Whittlesey and endorsed by Fair- 
banks and Keyes, on condition of the latter 
giving another, payable with interest in two 
years, for the balance remaining unaccounted 
for — thus virtually closing up a business 
arrangement which had been a continued 
occasion for anxiety and trouble to them 
through successive years. 

In speaking of the Whittlesey matter, to 
the author of this History, Mr. Fairbanks 
said: 

Before we executed our plan we had positive evi- 
dence of his knowledge of the transaction and of 
his guilt; and, on the strength of that, we did not 
expect to proceed to extremities further than to 
frighten him until he informed us where the money 
was secreted. But his stubborness held out much 
longer than we supposed it would or could. When 
we put the evidence of his guilt before him in such 
a plain manner his looks were evidence of it. We 
informed him that there was no doubt about it, and 
I believe that there is not one case in a thousand 
where evidence was so palpable as in this case. But 
Lynch Law is a dangerous one, and I would not ad- 
vise it. But with other guilty parties who have 
stolen from me and been detected. I believe I have 
used more mild and lenient measures. I have prob- 
ably caught twenty persons pilfering from me, and I 
have always made them give me a confession in 
writing, and then promised them, that as they had 
relatives who would be disgraced by their conduct, 
I would keep it a profound secret until they commit- 
ted the crime again, when I would prosecute them. 
I found this plan the surest method of reforming 
them. 



THE "PATRIOT" WAR. 



COPIED FROM haddock's HISTORY OF JEFFERSON COUNTY, N. Y. 



^URING the fall of 1837 there occurred one 
of the most curious, and what would now 
be classed as inexcusable and insane, episodes 
that Jefferson county and the whole northern 
frontier had ever witnessed — nothing more 
nor less than a popular effort on the part of 
American citizens to overthrow the govern- 
ment of Canada by an unwarranted invasion 
of the frontier towns, expecting to arouse the 
people to immediate participation in the re- 
bellious effort as soon as a stand should have 
been made. Ridiculous as this affair appears 
at this day, it was a popular and an enthu- 
siastic effort at the time, drawing into its 
service many educated and apparently level- 
headed men, and meeting with an amount of 
smypathy in Northern New York that was 
really astonishing. 

There had been for some time considerable 
discontent in Canada, some claiming that 
they were virtually shut out from proper 
participation in the government, and their 
repeated efforts to obtain better legislation had 
been disregarded. This discontent was more 
pronounced in the Lower Province, where 
the French Canadians had great influence, and 
had never in their hearts yielded a loyal sup- 
port to the English rule over a country which 
had once belonged to France. It was said at 
the time that the charges made by the Cana- 
dians against their rulers were greater than 
the causes that separated the American colo- 
nies from the English. The Reform party in 
Parliament of the Upper Province was led by 
William Lyon McKenzie, and Papenau was 
the leader in the Lower Province. The Home 



Government sustained all the alleged oppres- 
sive acts of the local government. The Re- 
form party refused to vote supplies for the 
support of the government, and the Parlia- 
ments were dissolved. The excitement had 
become great all through the provinces, ex- 
tending to the frontiers on this side. The 
parliament buildings at Montreal were burned. 
The first collision between the Reform parties 
and the Tories, in the Upper Province, was 
on Yonge street, Toronto, where several were 
killed. The feeling now became very intense. 
The reform party contained many determined 
and resolute men, but they desired relief from 
British oppression through peaceful means. 
They had never contemplated a resort to arms, 
but the feeling in both provinces was aroused 
to such an extent that it could not be peace- 
ably controlled. The feeling for the " relief " 
of Canada seemed to pervade all classes; secret 
societies were formed in the principal towns 
on this side as well as many on the Canadian 
side of the river. They were called Hunter's 
Lodges, and had signs and pass-words by 
which they could recognize each other. 

In the summer of 1837, William Lyon Mc- 
Kenzie and Gen. Van Rensselaer, w^ith 300 
men, established themselves on Navy Island in 
Canadian waters, between Chippewa and 
Grand Island, in the Niagara river. Rein- 
forcements came to Navy Island from the 
American side. The little steamer " Caro- 
line " was chartered to carry passengers and 
freight to the island from Buffalo. On the 
night of November 29, 1837, while this 
steamer was moored at Schlosser's wharf, a 



THE " PA TRIO T " WAR. 



143 



captain in the English army with a company 
of British soldiers, boarded her and set her on 
fire, and cutting the boat loose, sent her adrift 
over Niagara Falls. One Captain Alexander 
McLeod, while on a debauch at Niagara, 
made his boast that he was one of the gang 
that burned the Caroline. He was arrested 
for the murder of Durfee. His trial was com- 
menced at Canandaigua, but it was considered 
unsafe and he was removed to Utica. His 
defense was that he acted under the authority 
of the British government. He proved an 
alibi and was acquitted, being defended by 
able Canadian lawyers. The outrage was 
complained of by Governor Marcy to Martin 
Van Buren, then President of the United 
States, but no demand on the British govern- 
ment was ever made. The President issued 
a proclamation forbidding all persons from 
aiding or assisting, in any way, the rebellious 
acts of any people, or collection of people 
who interfered with the execution of the laws 
of a friendly nation, declaring all such persons 
outlaws and not entitled to the protection of 
the American government. 

Great preparations were soon made for an 
attack upon Kingston, while the St. Lawrence 
was bridged with ice. On the night of Feb- 
ruary 19, 1838, the arsenal at Watertown, 
N. Y., was broken into and 400 stand of arms 
were taken. The arsenals at Batavia and 
Elizabethtown were also plundered. On the 
20th of February patriots began to flock to 
French Creek in large numbers with a supply 
of arms and ammunition, consisting of 1,000 
stand of arms, twenty barrels of cartridges and 
a large store of provisions. It was intensely 
cold, and the men suffered from exposure. 
General Rensselaer Van Rensselaer, a son of 
General Van Rensselaer, of the war of 1812, 
was to assume the command. Either through 
the cowardice of the officers or the men, no 
man saw Canadian soil, and after much talk 
of bravery the men dispersed to their homes. 
It was reported that Colonel Bonnycastle, at 
the head of 1,600 men, was coming from 
Kingston to make an attack upon the town, 
and through fear and of the loved ones at 
home, the patriots scattered without much 



ceremony, leaving all their arms and ammuni- 
tion behind. This flight homeward was as 
ridiculous as their attempt was insane. 

On the night of May 30, 1838, the Canadian 
steamer. Sir Robert Peel, which was com- 
manded by John B. Armstrong, on her way 
from Brockville to Toronto, with nineteen 
passengers and about _;^zo,ooo in specie for 
paying off the troops in the Upper Province, 
was taking on wood at McDonnell's wharf, in 
the southern channel of the St. Lawrence, 
above Alexandria Bay, when a company of 
men, led by " Bill " Johnston, the alleged hero 
of the Thousand Islands, disguised and painted 
like savages, armed with muskets and bayonets, 
rushed on board, shouting, " Remember the 
Caroline." The night was dark and rainy. 
The passengers (who were asleep in the cabin) 
together with the crew were ordered on shore. 
The boat was then pushed out into the river 
and burned. The sunken hull can be seen 
there to this day. Heavy rewards were 
offered for the apprehension of the offenders 
by both governments. Twelve of the band 
were arrested and held in the Watertown jail 
for about six months. On the 2d of June, 
Anderson was indicted and held for arson in 
the first degree. He was tried before John 
P. Cushman, one of the circuit judges, and 
defended by Calvin McKnight, Benjamin 
Wright, John Clark and Bernard Bagley. 
After a deliberation of two hours the jury 
brought in a verdict of " not guilty." After 
a time the others were released on their own 
recognizance, and were never subjected to a 
trial. 

William Johnston was born in Lower Canada 
and became a confidential friend of William 
Lyon McKenzie. He became a leader in the 
Reform party, and afterwards removed to 
French Creek. He was a man of great energy, 
but bore a bad reputation. Johnston was now 
considered the patriotic commander, and a 
band under his command fortified themselves 
on one of the islands within the Jefferson 
county line. His daughter, Kate Johnston, 
held communication with them and furnished 
them with provisions and supplies. It was at 
this time that Johnston published the following 



144 



A SOUVENIR OF THE ST. LAWRENCE RIVER. 



curious manifesto — which is, so far as the 
writer knows, the only instance in which an 
outlaw had the " cheek " to declare war from 
his place of hiding against a friendly nation: 

" I, William Johnston, a natural born citizen of 
Upper Canada, do hereby declare that I hold a com- 
mission in the Patriot service as commander-in-chief 
of the naval forces and flotilla. I commanded the 
expedition that captured and destroj-ed the Sir 
Robert Peel. The men under my command in that 
expedition were nearly all natural born English sub- 
jects. The exceptions were volunteers. My head- 
quarters are on an island in the St. Lawrence without 
the line of the jurisdiction of the United States, at a 
place named by me Fort Wallace. I am well ac- 
quainted with the boundary line and know which 
of the islands do, and which do not, belong to the 
United States. Before I located my headquarters I 
referred to the decisions of the commissioner made 
at Utica, under the sixth article of the treat)- of 
Ghent. I know the number of the island and know 
that by the division of the commissions it is British 
territory. I yet hold possession of the station and 
act under orders. The object of my movement is 
the independence of the Canadas. I am not at war 
with the commerce or property of the United States. 

" Signed this loth day of June in the year of our 
Lord one thousand eight hundred and thirty-eight. 
" WILLIAM JOHNSTON." 

The effect of this manifesto was quite im- 
portant, as it was distributed through all the 
provinces and in all parts of the frontier States. 
The excitement along the frontiers grew more 
intense. Sir Allan McNab, the governor- 
general, fearing for the safety of his life, had 
resigned, and in returning to England passed 
through Watertown disguised as a laborer. 
He was recognized by Jason Fairbanks while 
sitting on a wheelbarrow in front of Gilson's 
tavern, waiting for the stage for Utica. Being 
advised by some of the leading men that he 
need have no fear of danger while travelling 
through the States, he changed his disguise 
and assumed his former dignity. Lord Dur- 
ham succeeded him as governor-general. The 
secret lodges were now making large additions 
to their membership. It had now become 
evident that a stand was to be made some- 
where for the threatened invasion. 

On the roth of November, two schooners, 
the "Charlotte," of Oswego, and the " Isa- 
belle," of Toronto, left Oswego with arms and 



ammunition and about 300 men for some 
Canadian point on the St. Lawrence. The 
steamer " United States " left Oswego on the 
following morning for the same destination, 
touching at Sackets Harbor and taking on 
board about 100 men, besides arms and am- 
munition. The schooners had proceeded as 
far as Milieu's Bay, below Cape Vincent, and 
the steamer " United States " coming up took 
them in tow, one on each side. There were 
now about 500 men on board the boat, all 
young, destined for some point known to but 
very few, if any, except the officers. They 
were fully officered. Gen. J. Ward Birge hold- 
ing the appointment of commander-in-chief. 
He was very sanguine, but his subsequent 
acts made him conspicuous as a coward. 
These vessels being well supplied with field 
pieces, small arms, ammunition and provisions, 
started on the morning of the 17th of Novem- 
ber, down the river. When passing Alexan- 
dria Bay, Charles Crossraon, one of these 
" patriots," then a young man of twenty years, 
full of patriotic impulses, little thought that 
one day at this point a beautiful tourist home 
should bear his name. 

The boats swept down the river until 
abreast of Prescott. At that point the 
schooners were detached, and dropped down 
to Windmill Point, about a mile below the city, 
where stood an abandoned windmill. 

In trying to land, the schooners ran aground, 
one near the point and the other farther down 
the river. About 250 men landed from the 
schooners, and the greater part of the guns 
and ammunition, together with one twelve 
pounder and two brass seven pounders were 
brought down. They then took possession of 
the windmill, which they held with three 
other stone buildings. The schooners, after 
getting afloat with the balance of the men and 
ammunition, sailed for Ogdensburg. This 
looked rather discouraging to the men in the 
windmill, to see these schooners leave them 
with many of their men and nearly all of 
their provisions and ammunition. Colonel 
Worth and the United States Marshal. Gar- 
ron, afterwards seized the vessels and all of 
their cargoes. Prospects began to darken for 



THE "PATRIOT" WAR. 



I4S 



the Patriots. They were deserted by nearly 
all of their officers. General Birge wilted at 
the first chance of facing British bullets. It 
happened that among the Patriot band was a 
Polish exile, Niles Sobelitcki Von Schoultz, 
who came from Salina. He was of noble birth, 
his father being an officer of high rank, and 
he himself had been an officer in the Polish 
service. He had been deluded into the pro- 
ject of freeing Canada from "tyranny and 



river. They landed at Prescott. It was now 
evident that some fighting was to be done. 
Von Schoultz gave great encouragement to 
his men, advising them to brave the British 
bullets and stand by each other to the last 
man. They agreed to follow wherever he 
should lead. 

The British steamers were now patroling 
the river, and occasionally firing shots at the 
wind-mill. One shot was fired at the steamer 




BAT-WING SAIL. 



•oppression." In the emergency he was now 
placed in command. It had all along been 
understood that as soon as a stand was made 
by any Patriot force, the Canadians would 
flock to their standard. In this they now 
found themselves grossly deceived ; not a 
single man came to their relief. They were 
looked upon as brigands and robbers. On the 
morning of the i8th, three Canadian steam- 
boats, the " Coburg," the " Experiment " and 
the " Traveller," with about 400 regular troops 
from Kingston, were seen coming down the 



" United States " while in American waters 
passing through her wheel house, killing the 
man at the wheel. The British troops, under 
Colonel Dundas, came marching from Pres- 
cott to annihilate the Patriots. Von Schoultz 
marched his men out of the building into the 
field. They formed in line behind a stone 
fence, which they used as a breast-work. 
The British commenced firing when about 
150 yards away, and continued their firing as 
they advanced, without doing any injury. 
The " Patriots " held their fire until the 



146 



A SOUVENIR OF THE ST. LAWRENCE RIVER. 



enemy had advanced to within fifteen rods, 
and then they got the order to fire. This 
broad-side resulted in killing thirty-six British 
soldiers, and wounding many others. The 
British fell back, but the firing continued on 
both sides. This was followed by the with- 
drawal of the "Patriots" — some into the 
wind-mill, and others occupying the outhouses, 
but continuing their fire at long range. The 
cannon shots aimed at the mill glanced off 
and produced no effect upon the walls. The 
battle raged three hours and twenty minutes, 
during which time six of the Patriots had been 
killed, and twenty-one wounded. It was esti- 
mated that seventy-five of the British lay dead 
upon the field, and 150 were wounded. 
Colonel Dundas now sent a flag of truce, ask- 
ing a cessation of hostilities for an hour, that 
he might remove his dead and wounded, which 
was cheerfully granted by Von Schoultz, 

The strife was watched with intense interest 
by a large crowd of people at Ogdensburg, 
directly opposite. The river now being clear, 
Hon. Preston King, with a few volunteers, 
chartered the " Paul Pry " to go over and get 
the Patriots away from the wind-mill. This 
was done probably by consent of the British 
forces. The boat went over, but only a few 
of the men chose to leave. Jonah Woodruff, 
the artist, afterwards the sleeping-car inventor 
and proprietor, was one of those who came 
away on the " Paul Pry." As time was prec- 
ious, the night dark and the limit of the truce 
uncertain, the men in the mill irresolute and 
under poor military subjection, Mr. King and 
his party were forced to leave with but few, 
when all could have been saved. 

About 10 o'clock on the third day the 
British regulars, reinforced with about 1,000 
militia, came bearing down upon this almost 
defenseless band in the old mill. They had 
but little ammunition left, but they resolved 
to sell their lives as dearly as possible. The 
troops continued firing their cannon and vol- 
leys of musket balls, however, without peril- 
ous effect. At length Von Schoultz ordered 
a cannon loaded with musket balls, spikes and 
pieces of iron placed in the door of the mill, 
and at an opportune moment it was dis- 



charged, killing twenty-five of the British and 
wounding as many more. This threw them 
into confusion, and they retreated. 

At length Von Schoultz saw that his men 
could not stand another charge, and, with 
much reluctance, sent out a flag of truce, the 
bearers of which were immediately taken jiris- 
oners. They then displayed a white flag from 
the top of the mill, but no notice was taken of 
it. Towards night Colonel Dundas sent out 
a flag demanding a surrender of the men at 
his discretion. Von Schoultz offered to sur- 
render as prisoners of war, but Colonel Dun- 
das would grant no conditions. Finally the 
little band, finding opposition hopeless, gave 
themselves up without terms into the hands of 
the British commander. 

Thus ended one of the most foolish and ill- 
conceived expeditions that was ever under- 
taken. Nineteen of the patriots were killed, 
thirty-five were wounded and about 190 were 
taken prisoners. The latter were placed on 
board the steamers and taken to Kingston, 
where they were confined in Fort Henry. It 
was estimated that about 125 of the British 
were killed and 200 wounded. 

The prisoners were confined in squads of 
fifteen to twenty in small rooms in the fort, 
and placed under a strong guard. Sir George 
Arthur had decided that they were brigands 
and must be tried by a court martial, to be 
composed of seven field officers and seven 
captains of the line. 

The serious condition of these prisoners 
excited the sympathy of the people of Jeffer- 
son county as well as of their friends, and 
meetings were held in all the towns under 
great excitement, petitions being circulated 
far and wide and extensively signed. These 
were presented to Sir George Arthur, the 
governor-general, asking clemency for these 
poor deluded victims. The best legal talent 
in the State volunteered their aid in defence 
of the prisoners, and in mitigation of their 
condition. William H. Seward, Philo Grid- 
ley, Hiram Denio, Joshua A. Spencer, Bernard 
Bagley and George C. Sherman, all united and 
used their best efforts in appealing to the 
governor-general for clemency. 



THE "PATRIOT" WAR. 



U7 



The court convened on the 28th of Novem- 
ber; Daniel George being the first prisoner to 
be tried, pleaded not guilty. When he was 
taken from the steamer, papers were found in 
his pockets commissioning him as paymaster 
of the eastern division of the Patriot army. 
Von Schoultz was then brought before the 
court for trial. He employed the barrister, 
Sir John McDonald, to aid him in his defense. 
He pleaded guilty. He sent a written appeal 
to the governor-general, in which he stated 
that he was deluded into joining in the inva- 
sion of Canada by the gross misrepresenta- 
tions of such men as J. Ward Birge and Will- 
iam Lyon McKenzie, who claimed to know 
the sentiment and wishes of the people of 
Canada, and that they would be received with 
open arms. Also, that the militia, when 
called out, would flock to their standard. All 
of which proved to be a base delusion. He 
asked for mercy at his hands. Every means 
of influence which could be brought to bear 
upon the governor-general by such men as 
Judge Fine, Silas Wright and a host of others, 
could not change his determination of execut- 
ing all the officers and leaders. 

Dorephus Abbey, a former newspaper editor 
of Watertown, was the next to be tried. He 
was captured while carrying a flag of truce, 
and was next in rank to Von Schoultz. Next 
was Martin Woodruff. All of these, after 
trial, namely : Daniel George, Nicholas Von 
Schoultz, Dorephus Abbey and Martin Wood- 
ruff were sentenced by Sir George Arthur to 
be hanged, and this sentence was carried out 
December 8th. Von Schoultz made his will, 
giving, among his many bequests, $10,000 for 
the benefit of the families of the British 
soldiers who were killed at the battle of the 
Windmill. He also wrote the following pa- 
thetic and farewell letter to his friend, Warren 
Green, of Syracuse : 

" Dear Friend. —When you get this letter, I shall 
be no more. I have been informed that my execu- 
tion will take place to-morrow. May God forgive 
them who brought me to this untimely death. Hard 
as my fate is, I have made up my mind to forgive 
them, and do. I have been promised a lawyer to 
write my will — intend to appoint you my executor. 
If the British government permits it, I wish my body 



delivered to you and buried on your farm. I have 
no time to write more because I have great need of 
communicating with my Creator to prepare myself 
for His presence. The time allowed me for this is 
short. My last wish to the Americans is, that they 
will not think of avenging my death. Let no further 
blood be shed. And believe me, from what I have 
seen, all the stories which were told of the sufferings 
of the Canadian people were untrue. Give my love 
to your sister, and tell her that I think of her as I do 
of my own mother. May God reward her for her 
kindness. I further beg of you to take care of W. J. 
so that he may find honorable bread. Farewell, my 
dear friends. May God bless you and protect you. 

'"December 18. 

"N. VON SCHOULTZ." 

Joel Peeler and Sylvanus Sweet were exe- 
cuted, January 11, 1839. Sylvester Lawton, 
Duncan Anderson, Christopher Buckley, Rus- 
sell Phelps and Lyman H. Lewis were sent to' 
the scaffold, February 11. They were fol- 
lowed by Martin Van Slyke, William O'Neal 
and James Cummings. The officers now 
having all been dealt with, they made quick 
work trying the men under them. The pris- 
oners were brought into court in squads of 
from ten to fifteen, and asked a few questions, 
and were then returned to their quarters. 
They all expected that their doom was sealed, 
and were anxiously awaiting their death war- 
rants. But a powerful influence was brought 
to bear upon Governor-General Arthur, and 
he finally decided that there would be no more 
executions, and went so far as to say that a 
number of them would be pardoned. The 
court had adjourned from January 4th to 
February 26th. The prisoners were allowed 
to receive visits from their friends, but under 
close guard. On the 8th of April the steamer 
" Commodore Barry " arrived at Sackets 
Harbor with twenty-two prisoners, pardoned 
by the governor-general. And on the 27th 
of April, thirty-seven more pardoned prisoners 
arrived at the same place. All released were 
under twenty-one years of age. The balance 
of the men remained in the fort all summer, 
uncertain as to their fate, whether they would 
be pardoned or banished. On the 17th of 
September, 1839, orders were given to prepare 
for departure, and ninety-five of them were 
heavily ironed, placed in canal barges and 



148 



A SOUVENIR OF THE ST. LAWRENCE RIVER. 



taken to Montreal, and there, with another 
lot of prisoners, making about 150 in all, were 
put on board the ship '' Buffalo," bound for 
Van Dieman's Island. 

February 13, 1840, after an uneventful 
voyage, they landed in the harbor of Hobart 
Town. After the inspector had taken a de- 
scription of them, the governor, Sir John 
Franklin, who afterwards died during a voy- 
■ age of exploration to the Arctic region, came 
to see them, and after looking them over, 
read their sentence, which was banishment 
for life. He was happy to learn of the cap- 
tain of the " Buffalo " that they had behaved 
remarkably well during the voyage. He also 
informed them that they would be placed at 
hard labor on the public roads with other 
convicts, and that with good behavior, after 
three years, they would be granted tickets of 
leave, which would give them the liberty of 
the island. 

After three years of this service, they were 
granted tickets of leave, but were confined 
within certain limits, and obliged to report at 
the station every Saturday night. If they so 
desired, they could be changed from one dis- 
trict to another. The deliverance from the 
heavy work they had hitherto endured was a 
blessing, and gave them new life. A reward 
of a pardon and free passage to America hav- 
ing been offered by the governor to any of 
the convicts who would capture some bush- 
rangers who were infesting the island, W. 
Gates, Stephen Wright, Aaron Dresser and 
George Brown succeeded in discovering the 
hiding-place and capturing two of the rangers. 
They were pardoned, and, after a long voy- 
age, returned to America, having served five 
years of a convict's life. 

In September, 1845, the governor com- 
menced to deal out pardons of ten and fifteen 
at a time. He thought it not quite safe to 
liberate too many at once. During the year 
1846, all of the Canadian prisoners had re- 
ceived pardons excepting some few whose 
behavior did not entitle them to such a re- 
ward. 

Thus ended the Patriot war. It was not 
without some beneficent results to the 



Canadas, for the home government granted 
them a new charter, by which the provinces 
were united into a dominion with a parlia- 
ment. The Tories were defeated in the par- 
liament, and the Reform party, after driving 
them from power, assumed control of the 
State. Even the outlaw, William Lyon Mc- 
Kenzie, was restored to citizenship, and was 
for many years a member of parliament, and 
the premier of the government. A curious 
phase of the Patriot troubles was the effect on 
the political heads of National and State 
governments. President Van Buren and 
Governor Marcy were both soundly denounced 
by many newspapers for performing their 
duty in enforcing the neutrality laws, and lost 
many votes in the frontier States. Marcy was 
succeeded by Seward, and on the day the 
election of Harrison was announced in Wash- 
ington, the boys shouted about the White 
House the refrain : "Van! Van! is a used-up 
man." And even General Scott attributed 
his failure to receive the Whig nomination at 
the Harrisburg National Convention to the 
machinations of Col. Solomon Van Rensse- 
laer, a delegate from New York, who held a 
spite against General Scott for having 
" squelched " his son, the general in com- 
mand at Navy Island. j. a. h. 



During the " Patriot " war, Watertown and 
the adjoining towns were filled with ex- 
patriated " Patriots " who had fled from 
Canada to avoid arrest and imprisonment for 
alleged treason. Watertown being the head- 
quarters of the Canadian leaders, William 
Lyon McKenzie, Van Rensselaer, and others, 
were located at the old stone Mansion House, 
kept by Luther Gilson, on the site of the 
present Iron block. The old hostelry was 
crowded with the patriots. During the early 
winter of 1838, the then governor-general of 
Upper Canada, who had been recalled from 
his position by the British government, was 
ordered to return. This notable official was 
Sir Francis Bond-Head, an ex-officer of the 
British army, and thoroughly despised in 
Canada. Wishing to reach New York to sail 
for England, he undertook to make the jour- 



THE " PA TRIO T " WAR. 



149 



ney by stage to Utica via Watertown. Not 
desirous of meeting his expatriated subjects 
ifor fear of recognition and possible insult, he 
determined to pass through incognito. Leav- 
ing Kingston during the night, accompanied 
by a prominent citizen of that city, to whom 
he acted the part of valet (or gentleman's 
gentleman), he arrived safely next morning by 
wagon and driver, hired as an " extra." The 
driver, not being informed as to the quality or 



a bright and shrewd fellow. After a short 
time, Scanlon noticed that the valet was miss- 
ing, and his suspicions were aroused, so he 
began to hunt him up. After looking high 
and low and all around the public square 
without finding him, he continued to search 
elsewhere, and at last found the lost valet 
cosily sitting on a wheelbarrow near the 
stables. Walking up to the late governor- 
general, he recognized him at once. Intro- 




SIGNALING THE "NORTH KING," OP THE CANADIAN LINE. 



rank of his passengers, drove straight to the 
Mansion House, and landed his man at the 
headquarters of his enemies. It was just 
after the breakfast hour, and the lobby was 
filled with the Patriot community, who recog- 
nized the Kingston citizen and greeted him 
cordially, but did not recognize the valet, 
who discreetly kept in the back ground. 
Prominent among the Patriot leaders at the 
hotel was Hugh Scanlon, an Irish-Canadian, 



ducing himself, Scanlon invited him to break- 
fast and to meet his late subjects, assuring 
him that he would be welcome, and receive 
every courtesy due his rank. The governor 
accepted the invitation and came forward. 
He was met by all in a courteous and friendly 
way, and was assisted in his arrangements for 
departure. He left town in a coach and four, 
with cheers, and without a single uncompli- 
mentary remark. a. j. f. 



AN EPISODE OF NORTHERN NEW YORK. 



MAJOR JOHN A. HADDOCK'S CELEBRATED BALLOON VOYAGE WITH PROFESSOR 

JOHN LA MOUNTAIN. 



IT is now about thirty-five years since the 
undersigned made the memorable balloon 
voyage with Professor LaMountain — a voyage 
intended to be short and pleasant, but which 
resulted in a long and most disastrous one, 
entailing the loss of the valuable balloon, and 
seriously endangering the lives of the travel- 
lers. Since then, LaMountain, after serving 
through the great rebellion, has made his last 
" voyage," and has entered upon that exist- 
ence where all the secrets of the skies are as 
well defined and understood as are the course 
of rivers here on the earth. 

To fully understand my reasons for making 
the trip, some leading facts should be pre- 
sented : 

I. There had been, all through the year 
1859, much excitement in the public mind 
upon the subject of ballooning. In August 
of that year, I returned from Labrador, and 
found that the balloon Atlantic, with Wise, 
Hyde, Gaeger and LaMountain, had been 
driven across apart of Lake Outario, while on 
their great trip from St. Louis to New York 
city, and had landed and been wrecked in 
Jefferson county, N. Y. , and the people of 
that whole section were consequently in a 
state of considerable excitement upon the sub- 
ject of navigating the air.* 

* The Wise named above was the celebrated aero- 
naut, Professor John Wise, of Lancaster, Pa.; and I 
may here remark that the trip made by him and his 
associates is by far the longest on record. Leaving 
St. Louis at about 4 p. m., they passed the whole 
night in the air, were carried across the States of 
Illinois, Indiana, a portion of Ohio and Michigan, 
over the whole northwestern breadth of Pennsylva- 



2. I had heard of other newspaper editors 
making trips in balloons, had read their glow- 
ing accounts, and it seemed to me like a very 
cunning thing. Desiring to enjoy " all that 
was a-going," I naturally wanted a balloon 
ride, too, and therefore concluded to go, ex- 
pecting to be absent from home not more than 
ten or twelve hours at the longest, and to 
have a good time. Being a newspaper man, 
and always on the alert for news, I had also 
a natural desire to do all in my power to add 
to the local interest of my journal, and for 
that reason felt a willingness to go through 
with more fatigue and hazard than men are ex- 
pected to endure in ordinary business pursuits. 

3. I felt safe in going, as I knew that La- 
Mountain was an intrepid and successful 
eeronaut, and I thought his judgment was to 
be depended upon. How he was misled as to 
distance, and how little he knew, or any man 
can know, of air navigation, the narrative will 
readily demonstrate. 

nia and New York, and were at last wrecked in a 
huge tree-top near the shore of Lake Ontario, at 
about 3 P. M. the next day, escaping with severe 
bruises, but without broken bones, after a journey 
of eleven hundred miles. These adventurers did 
not travel as fast, nor encounter the perils that 
awaited us, but they made a longer voyage. It was 
with this same balloon Atlantic that LaMountain and 
myself made our trip; but it had been reduced one- 
third in size, and was as good as flew. John Wise 
afterwards lost his life in a balloon, but just where 
he perished was never known. Gaeger was a manu- 
facturer of Crocker)', and he died in Massachusetts. 
Hyde is publishing a newspaper in one of the west- 
ern States. LaMountain died in his bed at Lansing- 
hurgh, N. Y., about 18S4. 



MR. JOHN A. HADDOCK'S CELEBRATED BALLOON VOYAGE. 



ISI 



With these explanations, I will proceed with 
my original narrative, nearly as written out at 
the time. 

Nearly every one in Watertown is aware 
that the second ascension of the balloon At- 
lantic was advertised fof the 20th of Septem- 
ber, 1859. The storm of that and the follow- 
ing day obliged the postponement of the 
ascension until the 22d. Every arrangement 
had been made for a successful inflation, and 
at 27 minutes before 6 p. m., the glad words 
" all aboard " were heard from I.aMountain, 
and that distinguished «ronaut and myself 
stepped into the car. Many were the friendly 
hands we shook — many a fervent " God bless 
you," and " happy voyage," were uttered — 
and many handkerchiefs waved their mute 
adieus. " Let go all," and away we soared ; 
in an instant all minor sounds of earth had 
ceased, and we were lifted into a silent 
sphere, whose shores were without an echo, 
their silence equaled only by that of the 
grave. No feeling of trepidation was experi- 
enced ; an extraordinary elation took posses- 
sion of us, and fear was as far removed as 
though we had been sitting in our own rooms 
at home. 

Two or three things struck me as peculiar 
in looking down from an altitude of half a 
mile : the small appearance of our village 
from such a height and the beautiful mechani- 
cal look which the straight fences and oblong 
square fields of the farmers present. As we 
rose into the light, fleecy clouds, they looked 
between us and the earth like patches of snow 
we see lying upon the landscape in spring- 
time ; but when we rose a little higher the 
clouds completely shut out the earth, and the 
cold, white masses below us had precisely the 
same look that a mountainous snow-covered 
country does, as you look down upon it from 
a higher mountain. Those who have crossed 
the Alps — or have stood upon one of the 
lofty summits of the Sierra Nevada, and gazed 
down upon the eternal snows below and 
around them, will be able to catch the idea. 
In six minutes we were far above all the 
clouds, and the sun and we were face to face. 
We saw the time after that when his face 



would have been very welcome to us. In 
eight minutes after leaving the earth, the 
thermometer showed a fall of 24 degrees. It 
stood at 84 when we left. The balloon ro- 
tated a good deal, proving that we were as- 
cending with great rapidity. At 5:48 the 
thermometer stood at 42, and falling very 
fast. At 5:50 we were at least two miles high 
— thermometer 34. 

An unpleasant ringing sensation had now 
become painful, and I filled both ears with 
cotton. At 5:52 we put on our gloves and 
shawls — thermometer 32. The wet sandbags 
now became stiff with cold — they were 
frozen. Ascending very rapidly. At 5:54 
thermometer 28, and falling. Here we caught 
our last sight of the earth by daylight. I 
recognized the St. Lawrence to the southwest 
of us, which showed we were drifting nearly 
north. At 6 o'clock we thought we were de- 
scending a little, and LaMountain directed 
me to throw out about 20 pounds of ballast. 
This shot us up again — thermometer 26, and 
falling very slowly. At 6:05 thermometer 
22 — my feet were very cold. The Atlantic 
was now full, and presented a most splendid 
sight. The gas began to discharge itself at 
the mouth, and its abominable smell, as it 
came down upon us, made me sick. A mo- 
ment's vomiting helped my case materially. 
LaMountain was suffering a good deal with 
cold. I passed my thick shawl around his 
shoulders, and put the blanket over our knees 
and feet. At 6:10 thermometer 18. We 
drifted along until the sun left us, and in a 
short time thereafter the balloon began to de- 
scend. We must have been, before we began 
to descend from this height, ■^^ miles high. 
At 6:32 thermometer 23 ; rising. We were 
now about stationary, and thought we were 
sailing north of east. We could, we thought, 
distinguish water below us, but were unable 
to recognize it. At 6:38 we threw over a bag 
of sand, making 80 pounds of ballast dis- 
charged, and leaving about 120 pounds on 
hand. We distinctly heard a dog bark. 
Thermometer 28 — and rising rapidly. At 
6:45 'he thermometer stood at 33. 

At 6:50 it was dark, and I could make no 



I 52' 



A SOUVENIR OF THE ST. LAWRENCE RIVER. 



more memoranda. I put up my note book, 
pencil and watch, and settled down in the 
basket, feeling quite contented. From this 
point until next morning I give my experience 
from memory only. The figures given were 
made at the time indicated, and the thermo- 
me'tric variations can be depended on as quite 
accurate. 

We heard, soon after that, a locomotive 
whistle, and occasionally could hear wagons 
rumbling over the ground or a bridge, while 
the farmers' dogs kept up a continual baying, 
as if conscious there was something unusual 
in the sky. We sailed along, contented and 
chatty, until about half-past eight o'clock, 
when we distinctly saw lights below us, and 
heard the roaring of a mighty water-fall. We 
descended into a valley near a very high 
mountain, but, as the place appeared rather 
forbidding, we concluded to go up again. 
Over with 30 pounds of ballast, and sky-ward 
we sailed. In about 20 minutes we again de- 
scended, but this time no friendly light 
greeted us. We seemed to be over a dense 
wilderness, and the balloon was settling down 
into a small lake. We had our life-preservers 
ready for use, but got up again by throwing 
out all our ballast, except perhaps 20 pounds. 
LaMountain now declared it was folly to stay 
up any longer, that we were over a great wil- 
derness, and the sooner we descended the 
better. We concluded to settle down by the 
side of some tall tree, tie up, and wait until 
morning. In a moment we were near the 
earth, and as we gently descended I grasped 
the extreme top of a high spruce, which 
stopped the balloon's momentum, and we 
were soon lashed to the tree by our large 
drag-rope. 

We rolled ourselves up in our blankets, pa- 
tiently waiting for the morning. The cold 
rain spouted down upon us in rivulets from 
the great balloon that lazily rolled from side 
to side over our heads, and we were soon 
drenched and uncomfortable as men could 
be. After a night passed in great apprehen- 
sion and unrest, we were right glad to see the 
first faint rays of coming light. Cold and 
rainy the morning at last broke, the typical 



precursor of other dismal mornings to be- 
spent in that uninhabited wilderness. We 
waited until 6 o'clock in hopes the rain would 
cease, and that the rays of the sun, by warm- 
ing and thereby expanding the gas in the bal- 
loon, would give us ascending power sufficient 
to get up again, for the purpose of obtaining 
a view of the country into which we had de- 
scended. The rain did not cease, and we 
concluded to throw over all we had in the 
balloon, except a coat for each, the life-pre- 
servers, the anchor and the compass. Over- 
board, then, they went — good shawls and 
blankets, bottles of ale and a flask of cordial, 
ropes and traps of all kinds. The Atlantic, 
relieved of this wet load, rose majestically with 
us, and we were able to behold the coun- 
try below. It was an unbroken wilderness of 
lakes and spruce — ■ and I began then to fully 
realize that we had, indeed, gone too far, 
through a miscalculation of the velocity of the 
balloon. As the current was still driving us 
towards the north, we dare not stay up, as we 
were drifting still farther and farther into 
trouble. LaMountain seized the valve-cord 
and discharged the gas, and we descended in 
safety to the solid earth. Making the Atlan- 
tic fast by her anchor, we considered what 
was to be done. 

We had not a mouthful to eat, no protection 
at night from the wet ground, were distant we 
knew not how far from any habitation, were- 
hungry to start with, had no possible expecta- 
tion of making a fire, and no definite or satis- 
factory idea as to where we were. We had 
not even a respectable pocket knife, nor a pin 
to make a fish hook of — indeed, we were 
about as well equipped for forest life as were 
the babes in the woods. 

After a protracted discussion, in which all 
our ingenuity was brought to bear upon the 
question of our whereabouts, we settled in our 
minds (mainly from the character of the tim- 
ber around us), that we were either in John 
Brown's tract, or in that wilderness lying, be- 
tween Ottawa City and Prescott, Canada. If" 
this were so, then we knew that a course south. 
by eas>- would take us out if we had strength, 
enough to travel the distance. 



MR. JOHN A. HADDOCK'S CELEBRATED BALLOON VOYAGE. 



155 



TRAMPING IN THE WOODS. 

Acting upon our conclusion, we started 
through the woods towards the south-east. 
After travelling about a mile we came to the 
bank of a small stream flowing from the west, 
and were agreeably surprised to find that 
some human being had been there before us, 
for we found the stumps of several small trees 
and the head of a half-barrel, which had con- 
tained pork. I eagerly examined the inspec- 
tion-stamp ; it read : 

"MESS PORK." 

"P. M." 

"Montreal." 

This settled the question that we were in 
Canada, as I very well knew that no Montreal 
inspection of pork ever found its way into the 
State of New York. Although the course we 
had adopted was to be a south-easterly one, 
we yet concluded to follow this creek to the 
westward, and all day Friday we travelled up 
its banks — crossing it about noon on a float- 
ing log, and striking on the southern shore, a 
" blazed " path, which led to a deserted lum- 
ber road, and it in turn bring us to a log 
shanty on the opposite bank. We had hoped 
this lumber road would lead us out into a 
clearing or a settlement, but a careful exami- 
nation satisfied us that the road ended here, 
its objective point evidently being the shanty 
on the other bank. We concluded to cross 
the creek to the shanty, and stay there all 
night. Collecting some small timbers for a 
raft, LaMountain crossed over safely, shoving 
the raft back to me. But my weight was 
greater than my companion's, and the frail 
structure sank under me, precipitating me 
into the water. I went in all over, but swam 
out, though it took all my strength to do so. 
On reaching the bank I found myself so 
chilled as scarcely to be able to stand. I 
took off all my clothes and wrung them as dry 
as I could. We then proceeded to the shanty, 
where we found some refuse straw, but it was 
dry, and under a pile of it we crawled — pull- 
ing it over our heads and faces, in the hope 
that our breath might aid in warming our 
chilled bodies. I think the most revengeful. 



stony heart would have pitied our condition 
then. I will not attempt to describe our 
thoughts as we lay there ; home, children, 
wife, parents, friends, with their sad and anx- 
ious faces, rose up reproachfully before us as 
we tried to sleep. But the weary hours of 
night at last wore away, and at daylight we 
held a new council. It was evident, we ar- 
gued, that the creek we were upon was used 
by the lumbermen for " driving " their logs, 
in the spring freshets. If, then, we followed 
it to its confluence with the Ottawa or some 
stream which emptied into the Ottawa, we 
would eventually get out the same way the 
timber went out. The roof of the shanty was 
covered with the halves of hollow logs, 
scooped out in a manner familiar to all woods- 
men. These were dry and light, and would 
make us an excellent raft. Why not, then, 
take four of these, tie them to cross-pieces by 
wythes and such odd things as we could find 
around the shanty, and pole the craft down 
stream to that civilization which even a saw- 
log appeared able to reach. Such, then, was. 
the plan adopted, although it involved the re- 
tracing of all the steps hitherto taken, and an 
apparent departure from the course we had. 
concluded would lead us out. 

Without delay, then, we dragged the hollow 
logs down to the creek, and LaMountain pro- 
ceeded to tie them together, as he was more of 
a sailor than myself. We at last got under 
way, and, as we pushed off, a miserable crow 
set up a dismal cawing — an inauspicious sign. 
We poled down the stream about a mile, 
when we came abruptly upon a large pine 
tree which had fallen across the current, and. 
completely blocking the passage of the raft. 
No other course was left us but to untie the 
raft, and push the pieces through under the- 
log. This was at last accomplished, when we 
tied our craft together again, and poled down 
the stream. To-day each of us ate a raw frog 
(all we could find), and began to realize that, 
we were hungry. Yet there was no com- 
plaining — our talk was of the hopeful future, 
and of the home and civilization we yet ex- 
pected to reach. Down the creek we went, 
into a lake some four miles long, and into. 



154 



A. SOUVENIR OF THE ST. LAWRENCE RIVER. 



which we of course supposed the stream to 
pass, with its outlet at the lower end. We 
followed down the northern bank, keeping 
always near the shore and in shallow water, so 
that our poles could touch the bottom, until 
we reached the lower extremity of the lake, 
where we found no outlet, and so turned back 
upon the southern shore in quest of one. On 
reaching the head of the lake, and examining 
the stream attentively, we found that the cur- 
rent of the creek turned abruptly to the right, 
which was the reason of our losing it. We 
felt happy to have found our current again, 
and plied our poles like heroes. We passed, 
late in the afternoon, the spot where we had 
at first struck the creek, and where we stuck 
up some dead branches as a landmark which 
might aid us in case we should, at a future 
time, attempt to save the Atlantic. 

When night came on we did not stop, but 
kept the raft going down through the shades 
of awful forests, whose solemn stillness 
seemed to hide from us the unrevealed mys- 
tery of our darkening future. During the 
morning the rain had ceased, but about lo 
o'clock at night it commenced again. We 
stopped the " vessel " and crawled in under 
some "tag" alders on the bank, where our 
extreme weariness enabled us to get, perhaps, 
half an hour's sleep. Rising again (for it was 
easier to pole the raft at night in the rain down 
an unknown stream amidst the shadows of 
that awful forest than to lie on the ground and 
freeze), we pressed on until perhaps 3 in 
the morning, when pure exhaustion compelled 
us to stop again. This time we found a spot 
where the clayey bank lacked a little of 
coming down to the water. On the mud we 
threw our little bundle of straw, and sat down 
with our feet drawn up under us, so as to 
present as little surface to the rain as possible. 
But we could not stand such an uncomfort- 
able position long, and as the daylight of the 
Sabbath broke upon us, we were poling down 
the stream in a drizzling rain. At 8 o'clock 
we reached a spot at which the stream nar- 
rowed, rushing over large boulders, and 
between rocky shores. This was trouble, 
indeed. To get our raft down this place, we 



regarded as well-nigh hopeless. We tied up 
and examined the shore. Here, again, we 
found unmistakable marks left by the lumber- 
men, they having evidently camped at this 
point, to be handy by in the labor of getting 
the timber over this bad spot in the stream. 
The rapids were about a third of a mile long, 
and very turbulent. After a protracted sur- 
vey we descended the bank, and thought it 
best to abandon our raft, and try our luck on 
foot again. After travelling about a mile, we 
found the bank so tangled and rugged, and 
ourselves so much exhausted, that satisfactory 
progress was impossible. So we concluded to 
go back, and if we could get the raft down, 
even one piece at a time, we would go on 
with her — if not, we would build as good a 
place as possible to shield us from the cold 
and wet, and there await with fortitude that 
death from starvation which was beginning to 
be regarded as a probability. This was our 
third day of earnest labor and distressing 
fatigue, and in all that time we had not eaten an 
ounce of food, nor had dry clothing upon us. 
Acting upon our resolution, we at once com- 
menced to get the raft down the rapids, and I 
freely confess that this was the most trying 
and laborious work of a whole life of labor. 
The pieces would not float over a rod at a 
time, before they would stick on some stone 
which the low water left above the surface, 
and then you must pry the stick over in some 
way, and pass it along to the next obstruction. 
We were obliged to get into the stream, often 
up to the middle, with slippery boulders be- 
neath our feet. Several times I fell headlong 
— completely using up our compass, which now 
frantically pointed in any direction its addled 
head took a fancy to. The water had unglued 
the case, and it was ruined. After long hours 
of such labor, we got the raft down, and La- 
Mountain again tied it together. Passing on, 
in about an hour, we came to a large lake, 
about ten miles long by six broad. Around it 
we must of course pass, until we should find 
the desired outlet. So we turned up to the 
right, and pressed on with as much resolution 
as we could muster. To-day we found one 
clam, which I insisted LaMountain should 



MR. JOHN A. HADDOCK'S CELEBRATED BALLOON VOYAGE. 



155 



eat, as he was much weaker than myself, and 
had eaten nothing on the day we went up. 

Part of this day LaMountain slept upon the 
raft, and I was " boss and all hands." As the 
poor fellow lay there, completely used up, I 
saw that he could not be of much more assist- 
ance in getting out. Erysipelas, from which 
he had previously suffered, had attacked his 
right eye ; his face was shriveled so that he 
looked like an old man, and his clothes 
were nearly torn from his body. A 
few tears could not be restrained, and 
my prayer was for speedy deliverance 
or speedy death. While my compan- 
ion was asleep, and I busily poling the 
raft along, I was forced to the coii- 
elusion, after deliberately canvassing 
all the chances, that we were pretty 
sure to perish there miserably at last. 
But I could not cease my efforts while 
I had strength, and so around the 
lake we went, into all the indentations 
of the shore, keeping always in shallow 
water. The day at last wore away, 
and we stopped at night at a place we 
thought least exposed to the wind. 
We dragged the end of our raft out 
of the water, and laid down upon the 
cold ground. We were cold when we 
laid down, and both of us trembled 
by the hour, like men suffering from a 
severe attack of the ague. The wind 
had risen just at night, and the dismal 
surging of the waves upon the shore, 
formed, I thought, a fitting lullaby to 
our disturbed and dismal slumbers. 

By this time our clothes were nearly 
torn off. My pantaloons were split up 
both legs, and the waistbands nearly gone. My 
boots were mere wrecks, and our mighty wrest- 
lings in the rapids had torn the skin from ankles 
and hands. LaMountain's hat had disap- 
peared ; the first day out he had thrown away 
his woolen drawers and stockings, as they 
dragged him down by the weight of water 
they absorbed. And so we could sleep but 
little. It really seemed as though, during this 
night, we passed through the horrors of death. 
But at daylight we got up by degrees, first on 



one knee and then on the other, so stiff and 
weak that we could hardly stand. Again 
upon the silent, monotonous lake, we went — ■ 
following around its shore for an outlet. 
About 10 o'clock we came to quite a broad 
northern stream, which we thought was the 
outlet we were seeking, and we entered it with 
joy, believing it would take us to our long 
sought Ottawa. Shortly after entering this 




THE POP-CORN MAN, KNOWN AS OLD "JUST ABOUT." 

Stream it widened out, and began to appear 
like a mere lake. We poled up the westerly 
shore for about seven miles, but found our- 
selves again deceived as to the outlet — the 
water we were upon proving to be another 
lake or bayou. We had gone into this lake 
with the highest hopes, but when we found 
that all the weary miles of our morning travel 
had been in vain, and had to be retraced, my 
resolution certainly failed me for a moment. 
Yet we felt that our duty, as Christian men, 



156 



A SOUVENIR OF THE ST. LAWRENCE RIVER. 



was to press forward as long as we could 
stand, and leave the issue with a higher 
Power 

It had now been four full days since we ate 
a meal. All we had eaten in the meantime 
was a frog apiece, four claras and a few wild 
berries, whose acid properties and bitter taste 
had probably done us more harm than good. 
Our strength was beginning to fail very fast, 
and our systems were evidently undergoing 
an extraordinary change. I did not permit 
myself to think of food — the thought of a 
well-filled table would have been too much. 
My mind continually dwelt upon poor Strain's 
sufferings on the Isthmus of Darien (then 
lately published in Harper's Magazine). He, 
too, was paddling a raft down an unknown 
stream, half starved, and filled with dreadful 
forebodings. But I did not believe we could 
hold out half as long as he had. Besides, he 
was lost in a tropical country, where all 
nature is kind to man ; he had firearms and 
other weapons with which to kill game. We 
were in a cold, inhospitable land, without 
arms, and utterly unable to build a fire. 
Strain was upon a stream which he knew 
would eventually bear him to the sea and to 
safety ; while we were upon waters whose 
flow we positively knew nothing about, and 
were as much lost as though in the mountains 
of the moon. Yet we could not give it up 
so, and tried to summon up fresh courage as 
troubles appeared to thicken around us. So 
we turned the raft around, and poled it in 
silence back towards the place where we had 
entered this last lake. We had gone about a 
mile when we heard the sound of a gun, 
quickly followed by a second report. No 
sound was ever so sweet as that. We halloed 
as loud as we could, a good many times, but 
could get no response. We kept our poles 
going quite lively, and had gone about half a 
mile, when I called LaMountain's attention to 
what I thought was smoke curling up among 
the trees by the side of a hill. My own eye- 
sight had begun to fail very much, and I felt 
afraid to trust my dull senses in a matter so 
vitally important. LaMountain scrutinized 
the shore very closely, and said he thought it 



was smoke, and that he believed there was 
also a birch canoe on the shore below. In a 
few moments the blue smoke rolled unmis- 
takably above the tree tops, and we felt that 

WE WERE saved! 

Such a revulsion of feeling was almost too 
much. We could hardly credit our good 
fortune, for our many bitter disappointments 
had taught us not to be very sanguine. With 
the ends of our poles we paddled the raft 
across the arm of the lake, here, perhaps, 
three-quarters of a mile wide, steering for the 
canoe. It proved to be a large one, evidently 
an Indian's. Leaving LaMountain to guard 
and retain the canoe, in case the Indian proved 
timid and desired to escape from us, I pressed 
hurriedly up the bank, following the foot- 
prints I saw in the damp soil, and soon came 
upon the temporary shanty of a lumbering 
wood, from the rude chimney of which a 
broad volume of smoke was rising. I hal- 
loed — a noise was heard inside, and a noble- 
looking Indian came to the door. I eagerly 
asked him if he could speak French, as I 
grasped his outstretched hand. " Yes," he 
replied, " and English, too ! " He drew me 
into the cabin, and there I saw the leader of 
the party, a noble-hearted Scotchman named 
Angus Cameron. I immediately told my 
story ; that we had come in there with a bal- 
loon, were lost, and had been over four days 
without food — eagerly demanding to know 
where we were. Imagine my surprise when 
he said we were one hundred and eighty 
miles due north of OTTAWA, near 300 
miles from Watertown. to reach which would 
require more than 500 miles of travel, follow- 
ing the streams and roads. We were in a 
wilderness as large as three States like New 
York, extending from Lake Superior on the 
west, to the St. Lawrence on the east, and 
from Ottawa, on the south, to the Arctic 
circle. 

The party consisted of four persons — 
Cameron and his assistant, and a half-breed 
Indian (LaMab McDougal) and his son. 
Their savory dinner was ready. I immedi- 
ately dispatched the young Indian for La- 



MR. JOHN A. HADDOCK'S CELEBRATED BALLOON VOYAGE. 



157 



Mountain, who soon came in, the absolute 
picture of wretchedness. All that the cabin 
contained was freely offered us, and we 
BEGAN TO EAT. Language is inadequate to 
express our feelings. Within one little hour 
the clouds had lifted from our sombre future, 
and we felt ourselves to be men once more 
— no longer houseless wanderers amid pri- 
meval forests, driven by chance from side 
to side, but inspired by the near certainty 
of seeing home again and mingling with 
our fellows once more in the busy scenes of 
life. 

We soon learned from Cameron that the 
stream we had traversed with our raft was 
called Filliman's creek — the large lake we 
were then near was called the Bos-ke-tong, 
and drains into the Bos-ke-tong river, which in 
turn drains into the Gatineau. The Gatineau 
joins the Ottawa opposite the city of that 
name, the seat of government of Canada. 
Cameron assured us that the Bos-ke-tong and 
Gatineau were so rapid and broken that no 
set of men could get a raft down, no matter 
how well they knew the country, nor how 
much provisions they might have. He re- 
garded our deliverance as purely providential, 
and many times remarked that we would cer- 
tainly have perished but for seeing the smoke 
from his fire. He was hunting timber for 
his employers, Gilmour & Co., of Ottawa, 
and was to start in two days down the Gati- 
neau for his headquarters at Desert. If we 
would stay there until he started we were 
welcome, he said, to food and accommoda- 
tions, and he would take us down to Desert 
in his canoe, and at that point we could get 
Indians to take us further on. He also said 
that he had intended to look for timber on 
Filliman's creek, near where the balloon 
would be found, as near as we could describe 
the locality to him, and would try to look it 
up and make the attempt to get it to Ottawa. 
This would be a long and tedious operation, 
as the portages are very numerous between 
the creek and Desert — something over 20 — one 
of them three miles long. Over these port- 
ages, of course, the silk must be carried on 
the backs of Indians. 



After eating all I dared to. and duly cau- 
tioning LaMountain not to hurt himself by 
over-indulgence, I laid down to sleep. Be- 
fore doing so, I had one of the men remove 
my boots, and when they came off, nearly the 
whole outer skin peeled off with the stock- 
ings. My feet had become parboiled by the 
continual soakings of four days and nights, 
and it was fully three months before they 
were cured. 

After finishing up his business in the 
vicinity where we found him, on Friday 
morning (our ninth day from home), Cameron 
started on his return. We stopped, on our 
way up the creek, at the spot where we had 
erected our landmark by which to find the 
balloon. We struck back for the place, and 
in about twenty minutes found her, impaled 
on the tops of four smallish spruce trees, and 
very much torn. LaMountain concluded to 
abandon her. He took the valve as a me- 
mento, and I cut out the letters " TIC," which 
had formed part of her name, and brought 
the strip of silk home with me. We reached 
what is known as the " New Farm " on Friday 
night, and there ended our sleeping on the 
ground. Up by early dawn, and on again, 
through the drenching rain, reaching Desert 
on Saturday evening. 

At Desert we were a good deal troubled to 
obtain Indians to take us further on. La- 
Mab McDougal had told his wife about the 
baloon, and she, being superstitous and igno- 
rant, had gossipped vi'ith the other squaws, 
and told them the balloon was a " flying 
devil." As we had traveled in this flying 
devil, it did not require much of a stretch of 
Indian credulity to believe that if we were 
not the Devil's children we must at least be 
closely related. In this extremity we appealed 
to Mr. Backus*, a kind-hearted American 

* Something quite curious grew out of my naming 
Mr. Henry Backus as having assisted us at the 
mouth of the Desert river. My account was gener- 
ally published throughout the country, and some ten 
days after our return I received a letter from a lady 
in Massachusetts asking me to describe to her the 
man Backus, as that was the name of her long- 
absent son, who, twent}' years before, had disap- 
peared from home, and had never afterwards been 



158 



A SOUVENIR OF THE ST. LAWRENCE RIVER. 



trader, who agreed to procure us a comple- 
ment of redskins, who would take us to 
Alexis le Beau's place (sixty miles down the 
river), where it was thought we could obtain 
horses. Sunday morning (our eleventh day 
from home), we started from Desert, and 
reached Alexis le Beau's just at night. The 
scenery upon this part of the route was sub- 
lime and imposing. The primeval forest 
stood as grand and silent as when created. 
Our Indians, too, surpassed anything I ever 
beheld, in physical vigor and endurance. In 
the day's run of sixty miles, there were six- 
teen portages to be made. On reaching one 
of these places, they would seize the canoe as 
quick as we stepped out of it, jerk it put of 
the water and on to their shoulders in half a 
minute, and start upon a dog trot as uncon- 
cernedly as though bearing no burthen. Ar- 
riving at 'the foot of the portage, they would 
toss the canoe into the stream, steady it until 
we were seated, then spring in and paddle 
away, gliding down the stream like an arrow. 
In the morning we traveled fifteen miles and 
made seven portages in one hour and forty 
minutes. 

At Alexis le Beau we first beheld a vehicle 
denominated a " buckboard " — a. wide, thick 
plank reaching from one bolster of the wagon 
to the other, and upon the middle of which 
plank the seat was placed. This sort of con- 
veyance is often used in new countries, being 
very cheap, and within the reach of ordinary 
mechanical skill. Starting off as soon as we 
could get something to eat, we travelled all 
night through the forest, over one of the worst 
roads ever left unfinished, and reached Brooks' 
farm, a sort of frontier tavern, in the early 
morning, where we slept a cduple of hours, 

heard frnm. I answered the letter immediately, and 
soon after learned that the man proved to be her 
son, and that he had promised to come home. 
What had driven him away from civilization to live 
among the Indians, was best known to himself. 
But a man of his generous impulses might have 
been an ornament to society, and a blessing to his 
friends. [This note was written the next week after 
we escaped from the wilderness. The article 
following this treats of Backus' expeiience quite 
exhaustively.] 



and after breakfast pressed oh by the rough 
frontier stage towards Ottawa. 

While the stage was stopping to-day to 
change horses, I picked up a newspaper at 
Her Britannic Majesty's colonial frontier post- 
office, and in it read an account of our ascen- 
sion and positive loss, with a rather flattering 
obituary notice of myself. And then, for the 
first lime, I began to comprehend the degree 
of concern our protracted absence had aroused 
in the public mind. And if the public felt 
this concern, what would be the degree of 
pain experienced by wife, children, parents, 
friends ? These reflections spurred us for- 
ward — or rather, our money induced the 
drivers to hurry up their horses — and at last, 
on the twelfth day of our absence, at about 
five o'clock in the afternoon, we jumped off 
the stage 'in front of the telegraph office in the 
good city of Ottawa, whence, in less than five 
minutes, the swift lightning was speeding a 
message to home and friends. That was a 
happy moment — the happiest of all my life — 
when I knew that within thirty minutes my 
family would know of my safety. 

I do not know how the people of Ottawa 
so soon found out who we were — but suppose 
the telegraph operator perhaps told some one ; 
and that "some one" must have told the 
whole town, for in less than half an hour 
there was a tearing, excited, happy, inquisi- 
tive mass of people in front of the grand 
hotel there — the clerk of which, when he 
looked at our ragged clothes and bearded 
faces, at first thought he "hadn't a single 
room left," but who, when he found out that 
we were the lost balloon men, wanted us to 
have the whole hotel, free and above board, 
and had tea and supper and lunch, and " just 
a little private supper, you know ! " following 
each other in rapid, yet most acceptable suc- 
cession. The happy crowd in the hotel and 
upon the street were determined to shake 
hands with us every one, and nearly all 
wanted to give or loan us money. Pretty 
soon the newspaper men and some personal 
acquaintances began to press through the 
crowd, and some cried while others laughed 
and huzzahed. Indeed, every one acted as if 



MR. JOHN A. HADDOCK'S CELEBRATED BALLOON VOYAGE. 



159 



they had just "found something!" And 
such is human nature always, when its noble 
sympathies are aroused for the suffering or 
distressed. 

Although the president of the Ottawa and 
Prescott Railroad (Robert Bell, Esq.), volun- 
teered to send us on by a special engine that 
night, we thought it best (inasmuch as our 
friends had been informed of our safety), to 
stay at Ottawa until morning. It did seem as 
though the generous people of that city could 
not do enough for us, and their kind atten- 



hibit unmistakable evidence of the deep in- 
terest felt in our fate. At Watertown, which 
had been my home from boyhood, the enthu- 
siasm had reached fever heat, and the whole 
town was out to greet the returning «ronauts. 
They had out the old cannon on the Public 
Square, and it belched forth the loudest kind 
of a welcome. My family had, of course, suf- 
fered deeply by my absence. Everybody had 
given us up for dead, except my wife. I felt 
very cheap about the whole thing, and was 
quite certain that I had done a very foolish 




BAY IN LA RUE ISLAND, CANADIAN CHANNEL. 



tion and disinterested enthusiasm will never 
be forgotten. 

Well, the next morning we left Ottawa, and 
were quickly carried to Prescott; thence 
across the St. Lawrence river to Ogdensburg. 
Here a repetition of the same friendly greet- 
ings took place ; and at last, after a hearty 
dinner, we left for home, now distant only 
seventy-five miles by rail. All along the line 
of the road we found enthusiastic crowds 
awaiting our coming, and all seemed to ex- 



act. Not so the people — they thought it a 
big thing to have gone through with so much, 
and yet come out alive. 



Several general conclusions and remarks 
shall terminate this narrative, already too 
long. "Why did you permit yourselves to go 
so far?" will naturally be asked. To this 
inquiry I reply : that the wind was exceed- 
ingly light when we ascended ; that we were 
very soon among the clouds, and consequently 



i6o 



A SOUVENIR OF THE ST. LAWRENCE RIVER. 



^unable to take cognizance of our course, or to 
judge how fast we were travelling. It should 
be distinctly understood that when you are 
sailing in a balloon, you are unconscious of 
motion and progress, unless you can see the 
■earth. Even when you first leave the earth, 
you seem to be stationary, while the earth ap- 
pears to drop away from you. Nor can you, 
"when out of sight of the earth, although you 
may have a compass, judge of the direction 
you are travelling, if travelling at all. In a 
few words, unless you can see the earth, you 
■cannot tell how fast fior in what direction you 
■are travelling. This, perhaps, better than 
anything else will explain why we uncon- 
sciously drifted off to latitudes so remote. 
When we arose above the thick mass of clouds, 
before sundown, we undoubtedly struck a 
rapid current that carried us north-east, and 
after we had travelled in this current about an 



hour, we probably struck anotner current, 
from the variation of our altitude, which bore 
us off to the north-west, for the place where 
we landed is about thirty miles west of due 
north from where we ascended. 

When we first descended near the earth, and 
saw lights and heard dogs barking, we should 
have landed. But we were unwilling to land 
at night in a deep wood, even though we knew 
that inhabitants were near by, and we thought 
it best to pick out a better place. This was 
our error ; and it came near being a fatal one 
to us — it was certainly so to the balloon. 
In trying to find our " better place " to land, 
we were up longer than we supposed, and as 
we were travelling in a current that bore us 
off to the northward at the rate of loo miles 
an hour, we soon reached a point beyond the 
confines of civilization. 



THE AWAKENING OF HENRY BACKUS. 



A ROMANCE OF THE BALLOON JOURNEY OF HADDOCK AND LA MOUNTAIN. 



IN the preceding account of the balloon voy- 
age made by LaMountain and Haddock 
into the Bos-ke-tong wilderness of Canada in 
September, 1859, allusion was made by the 
writer to one Henry Backus. The early his- 
tory of this man and the peculiar manner in 
which he was restored to civilized society and 
to his mother, from whom he had foolishly 
separated himself twenty years before, forms 
a story which would be called a " romance " 
were it not founded upon actual facts. 

LaMountain and myself made our balloon 
ascension from Watertown, N. Y., and were 
carried by a swift northerly current far beyond 
the bounds of civilization, landing in that im- 
mense forest in Canada, which is larger than 
the great States of New York, Pennsylvania 
and Ohio combined, and limited on the north 
only by Labrador and the Arctic circle. 
Having been rescued from starvation and 
probable death by the brave Cameron and his 
Indian guides, whom we providentially en- 
countered, we had reached, on our way " out 



of the wilderness," that frontier post of the 
Hudson Bay Company, known as Desert, 
where we were detained by inability to pro- 
cure Indians for the further prosecution of 
our journey, because one of Cameron's In- 
dians, who lived at Desert had circulated a 
story among his associates that we had come 
into that wilderness in a "flying devil," which 
had fallen from the sky. Naturally supersti- 
tious and densely ignorant, these boatmen 
readily concluded that we were really children 
of the Devil himself, and undesirable people 
to work for, even if well paid. We were very 
impatient at the detention, and Cameron, who 
could take us no farther towards Ottawa, ad- 
vised us to consult one Henry Backus, the 
local trader, who might be able to help us, for 
he sold ''fire-water" to the Indians and had 
great influence with them. To Backus' little 
store, then, we went, and found him some- 
what hard to approach, as if he were suspi- 
cious of any attemjit at intimacy; but when 
we told him our trouble and urgently solicited 



THE A WAKENING OF HENR Y BACKUS. 



I6l 



his good oflSces, he appeared anxious and will- 
ing to aid us. He struck me as being too in- 
telligent and well educated for the position he 
was filling, as a small trader in so remote a 
place, but we were too much concerned with 
our own plans for reaching civilization to 
scrutinize him very closely. He knew just 
how to deal with the ignorant river men, and 
soon had a crew selected who promised to de- 
part with us at early daybreak, so that we 
might reach Alexis-le-Beau before nightfall. 
The promise was redeemed, and in the morn- 
ing we departed, and Backus saw us no more, 
but from one of us he was yet to hear. 



Who was Henry Backus ? To answer this 
inquiry I must take the reader back more than 
fifty years, to 1837, when there lived in 
Western Massachusetts a family named Han- 
cock, consisting of the parents and two 
daughters, sixteen and eighteen years of age, 
the elder named Mabel, the youngest Harriet. 
It is with Mabel we have more particularly to 
deal. She was above the average in beauty 
of person, bright and engaging, and, like 
most of her sex, well aware of her good 
points, and not by any means unmindful of 
the admiration she elicited from the young 
men of her neighborhood. As a result, she 
was often invited to the merry-makings of 
that section, accompanied sometimes by one, 
sometimes by another young gentleman — but 
for a long time she gave none of her admirers 
any special preference. In her twentieth year, 
when the heart is said to be the most suscep- 
tible, she had two admirers who had dis- 
tanced her hitherto numerous gallants, and 
whenever she went to church or to the country 
parties, one or the other of these was always 
her attendant. Henry Backus, one of these 
young men, was rather a silent and reserved, 
but really handsome young man of twenty- 
two, well-educated in the country schools, 
active and enterprising, the comfort of his 
mother, who was a widow and the owner of a 
good farm, left her by her husband. Henry 
was somewhat in appearance like an Indian, 
tall and dark-skinned, and there was a tradi- 
tion that the Backus family, a hundred years 



before, had been crossed by Narraganset 
blood. 

Be that as it may, Henry was observant but 
silent, seldom gay and never frivolous, but he 
was popular among his companions, who gave 
him their full confidence, for they knew he 
meant all he said, and that his word was as 
good as most other men's bond. His com- 
petitor in Mabel's good graces was equally 
regarded, but in a different way. Witty, 
agreeable, full of vivacity and animal spirits, 
James Atwell was the life of every social gath- 
ering, greatly admired by the girls, and wel- 
come in every circle. Although a year older 
than Henry Backus, he had not yet settled 
down to any serious pursuit, which, in his 
case, was thought to be a necessity, as his 
father had never accumulated more than a 
mere subsistence. James had twice left home, 
and had spent a whole year in a dry goods 
store at Worcester, Mass., but he had given 
up that business as too confining. ■ He had 
also taught the district school one winter, but 
was thought deficient in discipline, and was 
not asked to teach a second time. While 
nothing could be said against him, the older 
people rated him much below Backus in pros- 
pective usefulness and position. The girls 
considered him as "just too nice for any- 
thing," but thought, and some of them said, 
that Henry Backus was " an old cross-patch," 
They unanimously predicted that James At- 
well would have a " walk-over " in the contest 
for supremacy in Mabel's affections. But this 
prediction did not have any speedy fulfilment, 
as both the young men were equally well re- 
ceived at the Hancock mansion, and so a 
whole year wore away without any material 
change in the relation of these young people 
to one another, but close observers saw that 
Backus was wonderfully smitten with Mabel, a 
fact which he did not try to conceal. Yet it 
gave his mother considerable concern, for she 
well knew the intensity of his nature, and how 
restless he became under even slight disap- 
pointments. 

A change, however, was soon to come. 
While returning from a dancing party in the 
winter of 1838. Henry proposed, and was at 



1 62 



A SOUVENIR OF THE ST. LAWRENCE RIVER. 



least partially accepted by Mabel as her future 
husband. At her request the partial agree- 
ment was to be kept a secret, much against 
Henry's wish, but he loved the girl too much 
to deny her anything. While this understand- 
ing was being faithfully observed between 
I hem, invitations came for the grand winter 
wind-up dancing party, to be held at the 
county town, and Henry was duly accepted as 
Mabel's escort thither. When the evening of 
the party drew on, he started in his sleigh for 
his companion, but the snow was deep, and in 
trying to turn out for a loaded team his cutter 
was upset, himself thrown out, and the horse 
ran away. It took fully two hours to recover 
the horse and reach the Hancock mansion, 
and then only to find that Mabel had become 
tired of the delay, and, in a moment of pique, 
had accepted James Atwell's proffered escort 
and gone to the dance with him. Backus was 
thunderstruck, and finally burst into a passion 
of tears, due as much, probably, to the excite- 
ment he had just passed through, as to the 
une.xpected departure of Mabel with his rival. 
His jealousy was terribly aroused, and he at 
once reached the conclusion that his delay had 
been gladly taken advantage of by her in 
order to accept the company of one whom 
she loved more than himself. He did not go 
to the dance, nor would he make much reply 
to Mrs. Hancock's trembling efforts to put 
Mable's action in a favorable light, but went 
straight home and made such explanations as 
he could to his tearful mother. Talk as she 
might, she could not move him from a sullen 
fit of depression, which the night did not wear 
away, and in the morning he harnessed his 
horse and drove away, with a determination to 
have a final understanding with Mabel. He 
demanded that their betrothment should be 
made public, and be sanctioned by her parents. 
That young lady bore herself during the inter- 
view with considerable independence, declar- 
ing herself as satisfied with what she had done, 
and captiously declined to ask her parents to 
ratify their engagement, which she declared 
was not considered as final, but rather as a 
matter subject to further contingencies, in all of 
which she developed a feminine spirit of conten- 



tion so characteristic of that sex. After much 
talk and expostulation they parted in anger, 
utterly estranged — she most likely beheving 
that it would result in a lover's reconciliation, 
and never dreaming that she would not soon 
see Henry Backus again. But with him the 
case was closed. He felt that he had loved 
and lost, and that, in the eyes of his acquaint- 
ances, he had been made a fool of by a heart- 
less woman. His fine sleigh was not used 
again that winter. The social parties missed 
him, and as. the trouble between the lovers 
gradually came out (but though never a word 
from him), the country people took two sides 
in discussing the matter, nearly all the women 
upholding Henry; and the men, more gallant, 
taking the part of Mabel. But she, too, went 
no more abroad, refusing even to see James 
Atwell, though he both called and wrote. 
Doubtless, like many another, she felt a secret 
desire to repossess what she had recklessly 
thrown away, and felt too'proud to make any 
effort towards a reconciliation. 

Try as he would, young Backus failed to 
take his former interest in life. His mother's 
tearful face would at times force him to active 
exertion on their farm, but it was plain to be 
seen that his spirit was broken, and that a 
sullen despondency had taken possession of 
his mind. Having struggled along through 
the summer's work and the harvesting, he 
besought his mother to let him hire a steady 
young man to do the farm work, and then be 
allowed to go away for a while. His mother, 
thinking a change of scene would help her 
son, reluctantly gave her consent, and late in 
November, Henry left his home to become a 
wanderer. But travel as long and as far as 
he could, he found it impossible to get rid of 
himself. His burden would not be cast off. 
For a month he remained at Albany, and then 
went north to Watertown, Prescott and 
Ogdensburg, N. Y., and finally to Ottawa, in 
Canada. The Indian strain of blood, which 
it was said he had inherited, began definitely 
to assert itself, more vigorously, perhaps, at 
the sight of the adjacent forests, and he re- 
solved to leave civilization behind him and 
forget that busy world where he had been 



THE A WAKENING OF HENR Y BACKUS. 



163 



so sadly deceived, and with which he now 
had so little affiliation. 

Those who have visited Ottawa will remem- 
ber the dense forest which environs that 
delightful city beyond the rapid river towards 
the north. Within a few miles of this Cana- 
dian capital you can readily lose yourself in 
the dense growth of trees ; and into this then 
almost unbroken wilderness Henry Backus 
launched himself, fully resolved never again 
to live among civilized men. Farther and 
farther he journeyed, until the stage route 
dwindled to mere " buckboard " travel, then 
to solitary paths marked by blazed trees, until 
Alexis-le-Beau, upon the Upper Gatineau, was 
reached, and then up that rapid stream he 
pressed a hundred miles to Desert, which was 
a mere fringe of clearing in that almost un- 
broken primeval forest. There Backus passed 
the late spring and summer. Gradually the 
need of employment for his mind and strength 
asserted itself, and he built a small log cabin 
with store-room in front, and began to trade 
with the Indians for their furs. When winter 
came on he made a journey out from the 
woods to Ottawa, where he perfected an ar- 
rangement for the annual sale of his peltry 
and for a regular consignment to him of such 
goods as his trade at Desert demanded. He 
was gone a month, and on his return took up 
his daily life as before, a solitary, independ- 
ent, silent man. I leave the imagination of 
the reader to depict his feelings, his yearn- 
ings for his mother, his moments of frantic 
love for Mabel Hancock, his resolve to break 
the spell that was upon him and return to his 
old home and friends, and for the reader to 
comprehend the depth of a nature that could 
endure in silence a disappointment so bitter. 
For a long time Mrs. Backus expected to 
see Henry walk into the house almost any 
day. She managed her farm much better 
than she had expected, saving something 
every year. After five years had passed, she 
lost faith in Henry's return, and almost gave 
him up as dead. She fell sick, and was in 
bed for a long time ; then it was that Mabel 
Hancock developed the good that was in her. 
Humbly she went to the sick woman's bed- 



side, confessed her undying love for Henry, 
took all the blame upon herself for his de- 
parture and long absence, and volunteered to 
nurse Mrs. Backus through her sickness. At 
first she was not at all drawn towards the girl, 
but her remorse and self-condemnation so 
plainly attested her sincerity that she was per- 
mitted to remain. She soon became a perma- 
nent fixture at Henry's old home, and so won 
the mother's heart that they never separated. 
Jointly they managed the farm, and became 
so knit together by mutual regard that 
strangers looked upon them as mother and 
daughter. James Atwell had married Har- 
riet and they had moved away, but Mabel did 
not attend her sister's wedding. Woman- 
like, she cast upon Atwell most of the blame 
for the unfortunate separation from her lover, 
when, in fact, she was the one mainly at 
fault, tliough there were those who thought 
Henry Backus himself not without grave 
responsibility for the turn affairs had taken. 
And so the years wore on until Mabel was 
nearly 40 years of age — comely in figure, but 
with a sad face, seldom lit by a smile. Her 
constant prayer was that she might be able 
to pay back to Henry's mother that fealty 
and support which had been lost when an un- 
wise and needless quarrel had driven away 
her son. 



The coming of the balloon men made an 
abiding impression upon Backus. He felt a 
return of that longing for home which he 
thought he had entirely conquered. He even 
found himself full of self-accusation, because 
he had not volunteered to personally accom- 
pany them to Ottawa, for from there he could 
have telegraphed or written to his mother. 
He found it difificult to put aside the influence 
these two eager, pushing men had exerted 
upon him. They were resolutely bent upon 
returning to that civilization he had been so 
willing to leave, and he began to feel a con- 
viction that they were right in their course 
and that he had been wrong in his. For three 
weeks this struggle went on in his heart until 
he began to realize the selfishness and folly of 
his course. He felt like loathing his sur- 



164 



A SOUVENIR OF THE ST. LAWRENCE RIVER. 



roundings as wholly unworthy one who had in 
his youth given such ample promise of useful- 
ness and honor. Hard as was the struggle, 
however, and much as he felt the value of 
what he had too ruthlessly cast away 20 years 
before, it might have been doubtful what 
course he would ultimately have taken had 
not Providence unmistakably warned him that 
he was trifling with his own best interests, to 
say nothing of his disregard of filial duty. 

About the middle of October, 1859, a party 
of river men, on their way up from Alexis-le- 
Beau, the nearest postoffice, brought him a 
letter, which may have read as follows : 

At Home, October 10, 1859. 

Mv Dear Son, if indeed you are my son : I read 
last week in the Springfield Republican an account of 
tlie adventures of the lost balloon men, who gave 
credit to one Henry Backus, a trader at Desert, on 
the Gatineau river, in Canada, for having aided them 
in their efforts to return to their homes. M)' heart 
prompted rae to write to Mr. Haddock, at Water- 
town, N. Y., for a description of this Henry Backus, 
and Mr. H. immediately answered my letter. Mak- 
ing full allowance for the changes 20 5-ears may have 
made, I feel quite hopeful that you are my long lost 
and deeply mourned son. If so, do not delay an 
hour, but come home before it is too late to see your 
poor mother, now past her 60th year, but whose 
prayer has ever been for her absent son. 

Mabel Hancock has lived with me for the past 18 
years. She is my stay and greatest comfort, and she 
desires me to enclose a word from her. for we are 
more and more convinced that you are my lost son. 
My heart is too full to write more, but if you are my 
son hasten to my arms, for a fresh disappointment 
or long delay may prove too much for my poor 
strength. Affectionately, your mother, 

Rachel Backus. 

The note enclosed was from Mabel; it read: 
Dearest Friend — If you are that Henry Backus 
to whom I was once betrothed in marriage, I feel 
that I owe much in the way of apology for the treat- 
ment you received at my hands when I was a young 
and inexperienced girl. My past life I offer as an 
evidence of my feelings towards you then and now ; 
yet that life for many years has been a burden, 
which I could only have borne for your dear 
mother's sake. If you are the lost one you cannot 
be too quick in hastening to your true home, for 
your mother is not long for this world. 

Your attached friend, 

Mabel Hancock. 



If Backus had been tardy in carrying out 
the plans which the coming of the lost balloon 
men appeared to prompt, he was on fire now 
with impatience, and counted every hour as 
lost that kept him from the telegraph. Plac- 
ing a trusted clerk in charge of his business, 
he packed up his important papers, and, on 
the morning of the fourth day, was in Ottawa, 
sending a message to distant Berkshire that 
he was indeed the lost son, who had come to 
himself and would soon be there. 



Having thus far dealt in facts, I will invite 
the reader himself to imagine that meeting, 
when Backus found under the same roof his 
beloved mother and that Mabel Hancock who 
was thenceforth to reign as the undisputed 
idol of his heart. The natural inclination of 
a newspaper editor to follow out any incident 
of more than passing interest with which he 
had become interested, impelled me to make 
inquiry of Backus' subsequent career, as well 
as of all that might shed any light upon his 
history before we met him at Desert. On the 
1st of January following his return, he and 
Mabel Hancock were married, and the whole 
neighborhood shared in the merry-making. 
He soon sold his possession at Desert, and 
settled down in a prosperous career, becoming 
a leading citizen of his native county. Him- 
self and wife were noted for their hospitality 
and open-handed charity, and it was especi- 
ally remarked that they were exceedingly 
lenient in their treatment of any one who had 
lapsed from duty or against whom society 
held its doors askance. The poor and the 
outcast found ready sympathy with them, and 
no hungry wayfarer was ever sent away un- 
filled. 

The casual reader may not be much im- 
pressed with the extraordinary means through 
which Henry Backus came to be thus " awak- 
ened " to his true condition, but those who 
take a broader view of these incidents can, 
perhaps, discover in them the workings of that 
Supreme Omniscience which notes even the 
fall of a sparrow. 



THE WAR OF 1755. 



WITH AN ALLUSION TO THE "LOST CHANNEL.' 



/^THE most formidable military display 
^ni which ever swept over the waters of the 
St. Lawrence, was that of 1760, commanded 
by Gen. Jeffrey Lord Amherst. It consisted, 
according to Knox, of the ist and 2d battal- 
ions of the Royal Highlanders, the 44th, 
46th, and 55th regiments of the line, the 4th 
battalion of the 60th, eight companies of the 
77th, five companies of the 80th, 579 Gren- 
adiers, 597 Light Infantry, three battalions of 
the New York regiment, four battalions of the 
Connecticut regiment, a regiment from New 
Jersey, 146 Rangers, 157 of the Royal Artil- 
lery, and a force of Indians under Sir Wil- 
liam Johnson, the whole amounting to an 
effective force of 10,142 men. The trans- 
portation for this army, consisted of two 
armed vessels, the Onondaga and the Mo- 
hawk; the first, under the immediate com- 
mand of Capt. John Loring, who was also 
admiral of the fleet, was armed with four 
nine-pounders, and fourteen sixes, with a 
crew of 100 men. The second carried sixteen 
sixes, and a crew of ninety men; and in addi- 
tion to these, there were seventy-two whale- 
boats, and 177 batteaux. Several of the 
whaleboats were armed with a gun each, and 
some of the batteaux carried howitzers. Be- 
sides these, there were staff, hospital and 
sutler's boats, the whole to quote from a 
writer of that time, who was an eye witness, 
"making a most imposing array." 

The primary object of the expedition, was 
the capture of Montreal, it being one of three 
set on foot for that purpose; but its imme- 
diate destination was Fort Levis, a strong 
French fortification the ruins of which are yet 



to be seen, on what is now called " Chimney 
Island," in the St. Lawrence river, a few 
miles below Ogdensburg, which was known to 
the French as "La Presentation." At that 
time. Fort Levis, was the only French strong- 
hold above Montreal, and its reduction was a 
military necessity. The fort, according to the 
historian Mante, was begun early in 1759, by 
Chevalier de Levis, who was afterward a Mar- 
shal of France, and completed by Captain 
Pouchot, by whom it was so ably defended. 
This officer arrived at the fort in March, and 
proceeded to put it in as complete a condition 
for defense as was possible with the means at 
hand. On taking command, he found it gar- 
risoned by 150 militia, six Canadian officers, 
some colonial cadets, and M'Bertrand an offi- 
cer of artillery. A reinforcement of 100 men 
was sent him from below, but of these, twenty 
soon deserted, carrying away with them the 
batteaux belonging to the fort. One of these 
deserters was a lad named Pierre Rigand. A 
few days later his father brought him back, 
feeling deeply the disgrace consequent upon 
having a son who was a deserter. 

It would be a pleasure to find that Capt. 
Pouchot's Memoirs, in which this incident is 
related, has been able to add that the young 
man fought bravely, wiped out the disgrace of 
desertion and returned to the arms of his 
father, who not only forgave him but received 
him with open arms and affectionate pride; 
but they do not. They only state that : " In 
the battle which followed, Pierre Rigand was 
killed." 

As it is no part of our intention to enter 
into a minute description of the investment 



\66 



A SOUVENIR OF THE ST. LAWRENCE RIVER. 



and capture of the fort, we shall content our- 
selves with a description of the expedition as 
related by its historian, in its progress down 
the St. Lawrence river. On the 7th of August, 
1760, Capt. Loring with his two vessels sailed 
from Oswego for Grenadier Island;, at the foot 
of Lake Ontario. " Following in boats were 
the Royal Highlanders and Grenadiers, com- 
manded by Lieut. Col. Massey; the light in- 
fantry under Lieut. Col. Amherst, with two 
companies of Rangers, the whole under the 
command of Colonel Haldimand, who after- 
ward succeeded Sir Guy Carleton, as Gover- 
nor-General and Commander-in-Chief in 
Canada. On the loth, Gen. Amherst himself 
embarked with the remainder of the troops, 
being joined the next day by Gen. Gage with 
the Provincial troops, among which was a 
Connecticut regiment under the command of 
Lieut.-Col., afterward Brigadier-Gen. Israel 
Putnam. On the 13th of August, 1760, the 
whole army was encamped on Grenadier 
Island, and their boats safely moored in Basin 
Harbor. 

By noon of the 14th, everything was in 
readiness to move, and the troops were ordered 
to get their dinners and then embark at once. 
At two o'clock they were sweeping down the 
south channel of the St. Lawrence in two 
lines of boats which reached almost from 
shore to shore. It was an inspiring sight. 
The long lines of boats, decorated with flags 
and streamers and guidons, the rowers keep- 
ing time with their oars to the music of the 
military bands, relieved at times by the bugles 
of the Grenadiers and the pipes of the Scotch 
Highlanders, while the two vessels, the Onon- 
daga and Mohawk, led the advance. 

But the French were not asleep. For some 
time a squad of soldiers, under the command 
of a lieutenant, had been stationed on Isle aux 
Chevreuils, now Carlton Island, from the 
high grounds of which a splendid view of the 
lake is to be had, as a corps of observation. 
With this squad was a small body of Indian 
scouts, one or two of whom, in swift canoes, 
were detached at intervals to the fort below 
to warn its commander of the approach of the 
English army. Waiting until the entire fleet 



had entered the river, so that there was no 
longer any doubt as to its destination, the 
lieutenant and his men went on board a 
batteau, and rowed away down the river. It 
was this batteau which led Capt. Loring of 
the Onondaga into trouble. But we will let 
an extract from the journal, kept by the gal- 
lant captain, tell the tale: 

"Aug. 14th. — This afternoon the entire fleet set 
sail, and at three of the clock was well within the 
south channel of the St. Lawrence river, near the 
island called, by the French, Isle aux Chevreuil, and 
by us Buck Island, from the foot of which the look- 
out at the masthead discovered a batteau loaded 
with French soldiers put off, when I knew at once 
that the enemy had knowledge of the expedition, 
and though the wind was light, I signalled the Mo- 
hawk and gave chase, hoping to get the batteau 
within range of my bow guns, but which I failed to 
do. The Onondaga was now nearly a league ahead 
of the Mohawk, and the flotilla was yet another 
league in the rear, the entire fleet being fully eight 
leagues from where it set sail. At a point where 
three hills project into the river, the batteau veered 
away and ran down through a long narrow channel 
between what seemed to be a large island and some 
smaller ones, and out into a large bay, beyond which 
stretched another broad channel, easily seen from 
the masthead. Having sounded and found deep 
water, I decided to follow; but owing to light winds 
our progress was slow, though in running through 
the narrow channel we gained somewhat on the bat- 
teau, which we soon lost sight of among the islands 
in the north channel, which are very numerous, with 
narrow swift channels in every direction between 
them, very difficult to sail among unless favored 
with a strong breeze, which, unfortunately for us, 
was now very light, and to add to our difficulties, 
night was at hand. Had we not been able to dis- 
tinguish the islands from the lookout at the mast- 
head, we might have thought that the main land lay 
ahead of us, but with what we could see from that 
point, and finding that the current set strongly in 
that direction, and knowing from some previous 
experience among the islands above that the chan- 
nels between the islands were likely to be deep, I 
determined to hold on to our course, not doubting 
that we should run safely through the archipelago, 
if it be proper to so call a cluster of islands that are 
not in the sea. So the Fates would have it, how- 
ever, we were no sooner fairly within what seemed 
to be the largest channel than the vessel was attacked 
on every side from the summits of the islands, which 
were covered with trees and thickets, and our deck 
was fairly swept with arrows and musketry, while at 
the same time we seemed about to strike ' bows on' 



THE WAR OF 1735- 



167 



to a precipice directly ahead. I immediately ordered 
Coxswain Terry and his crew to lower away one of 
the quarter boats, with a message to the Mohawk to 
turn back to the other channel, and then sent the 
men to the guns quickly, driving the enemy from 
the summits of the islands and into their canoes, 
when they soon escaped into the numerous channels 
on either hand. 

Ordering another boat lowered, a suitable channel 
was soon found, through which we passed safely, 
and anchored about a league below the thickest of 
the group of islands, and waited for Coxswain Terry 
and his crew to return. After some time, I ordered 
Ensign Barry to take the cutter and search for the 
coxswain and his crew. After some hours Ensign 
Barry returned. He had been bewildered among 
the numerous channels, not being able to even dis- 
tinguish the channels through which the vessel had 
come, nor the one by which she entered the group 
of islands, nor had he discovered the first boat 
lowered. Ensign Barry called it " The River of the 
Lost Channel," and in that way was it ever after 
spoken of among the men. Thinking that Coxswain 
Terry and his crew had boarded the Mohawk, and 
that they would return to us when we joined the 
fleet, I determined to sail as soon as the wind 
freshened. 

"Aug. 15th. All this day there was a strong head 
wind, and after sounding and finding shallow water 
in several places, I did not think it best to tack for 
fear of running aground." 

"Aug. 16th. The lookout discovered a vessel this 
morning at a distance of about four leagues coming 
up the river, but we could not make her out. Pre- 
suming that it was a French vessel, as we knew that 
they had an armed brig below, we got springs on our 
cables in order to veer if attacked, but she did not 
come nearer to us than three leagues." 

"Aug. 17th Wind still contrary. There has been 
heavy cannonading down the river to-day about 



four leagues distant but hid from us by islands. It 
cannot be at the French Fort, which cannot be less 
than fifteen leagues distant." 

"Aug. i8th. Got under weigh this afternoon, and 
will soon be with the army." 

"Aug. 19th. Reached the army to-day, and re- 
ported to Gen. Amherst. Coxswain Terry and his 
crew are undoubtedly lost, as they did not board the 
Mohawk, but started to return to the Onondaga. 
The firing on the day before yesterday, was the 
attack on the French brig by our armed gallies under 
the command of Col. Williamson, who captured her 
after a severe engagement lasting four hours. It 
was a most gallant aflfair. The brig has been named 
the Williamson, after the gallant colonel. The fort is 
to be invested to-morrow." 

In speaking of this very affair the historian 
Mante says: 

"All this while, one of the enemy's vessels kept 
hovering about the army, and as Captain Loring had 
not yet got into the right channel, it became necessary 
for the safety of the army, either to compel this 
vessel to retire or to take her. The general was 
therefore obliged to order Colonel Williamson with 
the row gallies well manned, to do one or the other." 

Then follows an account of the battle and 
of the ill luck which seemed to have followed 
Captain Loring during the attack on the fort, 
at which time his vessel ran aground and was 
very nearly taken possession of by the enemy. 
But as any further description of the capture 
of Fort Levis is not germane to our history, 
because it took place beyond the limits of the 
Thousand Islands, we bring the article to a 
close, having shown the reader that the name 
" Lost Channel " is by no means a modern 
invention. 



J^ 



i68 



A SOUVENIR OF THE ST. LAWRENCE RIVER. 



FRANK H. TAYLOR. 




FRANK H. TAYLOR, THE ARTIST. 

Among the favored residents at the pleas- 
ant summer colony of Round Island there are 
none better known or more enthusiastic re- 
garding the charms of the Thousand Islands 
than Mr. Frank H. Taylor, one of the few 
Philadelphians who spend their summer in 
this region. After much and varied travel as 
an illustrator and writer, Mr. Taylor came to 
the St. Lawrence upon a mission for Harper's 
Weekly in 1881, and at once recognizing the 
certainty of its supremacy as a summer resort, 
he built the pretty cottage at the foot of 
Round Island, which he calls " Shady Ledge." 
Mr. Taylor, with his wife and only son, who 
is also an artist, return here each season with 
great regularity in June, and devote the sum- 



mer to the congenial work of the water color- 
ist. Mr. Taylor's illustrations of island life, 
accompanied by vivid descriptions, have ap- 
peared in many publications, and have done 
much to popularize these beautiful islands 
throughout the country. The writer is in- 
debted for several picturesque chapters in this 
work to Mr. Taylor's facile pen. He has 
done more to popularize the St. Lawrence 
Archipelago than any other man. This he has 
been enabled to do from the fact that he is 
not only a fine writer, but an artist as well, 
and can both describe and delineate anything 
he desires to present. This is a most happy 
combination of talent, as valuable as it is rare. 
Mr. Taylor's delineations have been delicate 
but most expressive. He is one who brings 
the love of nature into his work, fully believ- 
ing that honest delineation of scenery is very 
much above any attempt to introduce fancy 
effects. 

The regular visitors to Round Island and 
other points upon the river always welcome 
Mr. Taylor and his family as desirable people 
to know. Grand Army men, in particular, 
have experienced great pleasure at the camp- 
fires held on the lawn in front of Comrade 
Taylor's fine residence upon the east side of 
the island. There has never occurred one of 
these unique entertainments that has not been 
marked by good speaking and singing. Com- 
rade Taylor gets true enjoyment by contribut- 
ing to the enjoyment of others, and that is a 
great thing to find out and to really believe 
in — it may indeed be almost like finding the 
real philosopher's stone, which is said to turn 
all things it touches into gold. 



^m 



THE CASTORLAND COLONY. 



/^pO the excellent article by Hon. Mr. In- 
•^ galls, upon the " Waterways of Jefferson 
County" (see pages 9-12 of Haddock's His- 
tory), we wish to add a few general remarks. 
It is a peculiar characteristic, marking all the 
rivers that flow in and around Northern New 
York, that, excepting only the Mohawk, all 
of them flow from and through larger or 
smaller chains of lakes. The noble St. Law- 
rence itself, which forms the natural and in- 
tensely picturesque northwestern boundary of 
Jefferson county, seems to be the vast proto- 
type and pattern for all the others, as it flows 
from its own great continental system of 
lakes. The Hudson, flowing eastward like 
the Mohawk, is fed by a system of forest 
branches which spread over the entire moun- 
tain belt of the Adirondack wilderness, the 
head waters of some of its tributaries being 
over 5, 000 feet above the level of the sea. 
But, however interesting it may be to follow 
out this train of thought, our space constrains 
as to confine our remarks to the streams which 
flow into and through Jefferson county, or re- 
late to waterways touching that county. 
Their influence upon the early settlements of 
the northern wilderness of 1793, ^^ drawing 
to the Black River country those in pursuit 
of water power to drive factories, can never 
be prized too highly, nor too patiently de- 
scribed. These waters attracted to this local- 
ity those whose minds were profoundly stirred 
by that intense activity which always precedes 
great discoveries and great movements of 
populations. « 

The Black River bounds the Great Wilder- 
ness plateau of Laurentian rocks on the west, 
and its valley bounds the Lesser Wildnerness 
on the east. The principal confluents that 



enter the Black River from the Great Wilder- 
ness, are the Moose, Otter Creek, the Inde- 
pendence, and the Beaver. 

The Moose River rises near the Raquette 
Lake in the center of the wilderness, and 
winds through and forms the celebrated Eight 
Lakes of the Fulton chain. The Moose passes 
in its course the hunting station known to all 
frequenters of the woods as Arnold's, or the 
Old Forge, on Brown's Tract. This secluded 
spot has long been famous in forest story as 
the scene of John Brown's* fruitless attempt 
at settlement, of the failure and tragic death 
of his son-in-law Herreshofif, of the exploits 
of the hunter Foster and his victim, the Indian 
Drid, and of the life-long home of Otis Arnold, 
the hunter and guide. 

The Independence River rises near the 
Eight Lakes of the Fulton chain and runs 
into Black River in the town of Watson, Lewis 
county, between the Moose River and the 
Beaver River. In its course, this river crosses 
the tract of wild land known to land specu- 
lators as Watson's West Triangle. The Inde- 
pendence River was so named in honor of our 
national holiday by Pierre Pharoux, the en- 
gineer and surveyor of Castorland. Near the 
south bank of the Independence, not far from 
the old Watson house, is Chase's lake. This 
lake has long been a favorite resort, and is one 
of the most accessible in the Wilderness for 
the invalid or pleasure seeker. The Beaver 
River rises in the heart of the Wilderness to 
the north of Raquette Lake, and running in its 
course through Smith's Lake, Albany Lake, and 
Beaver Lake, waters the territory of ancient 

* Not the John Brown, of Harper's-Ferry fame, 
"whose body lies a mouldering in the ground, but 
whose soul is marching on." 



170 



A SOUVENIR OF THE ST. LAWRENCE RIVER. 



Castorland, the seat of French influence on 
the Black River. Beaver Lake, an expansion of 
this river at Number Four, a famous summer 
resort, is one of the most charming lakes in 
the wilderness. 

Among the problematical places of the olden 
times in Northern New York, whose names 
were once familar in European circles but are 
seldom heard in modern story, no one was 
once more famous than La Famine. 

Two hundred years ago. La Famine was a 
well-known stopping-place upon the eastern 
shore of Lake Ontario for the weary hunter 
and the bold explorer, and the spot where 
even armies encamped, and the ambassadors 
of hostile nations met in solemn council. 



of the Lesser Wilderness from the west was 
the Salmon River. On their way to the hunt- 
ing ground through Lake Ontario, the western 
Indians landed at the mouth of this river, and 
their trail then led up its banks. 

La Famine then was the ancient seaport of 
this famous hunting ground of the Lesser 
Wilderness, and was situated near what is 
now the village of Mexico, Oswego county. 
Hence we find on a map of New France, pub- 
lished by Marco Vincenzo Coronelli, in 1688, 
this place put down at the mouth of what is 
now known as the Salmon River, but in his 
map it is called La Famine River. It bears 
the following inscription: " La Famine, lieu 
ou la plus part des Iroquois des barquet pour 





MEDAL ISSUED BY THE CHASSNAIS FRANCO- AMERICAN LAND COMPANY. 
[Enlarged one-half, from an original in possession of the Jefferson County Historical Society.] 



To-day its name can only be found on the his- 
toric page and in the old maps and musty 
records, while its locality is often a matter of 
controversy. The ancient Indian landing-place 
and camping-ground known to the French as 
La Famine, was situated on the shore of 
Famine Bay, now called Mexico Bay, in the 
southeast corner of Lake Ontario, at the 
mouth of La Famine River, now known as 
Salmon River. 

The Salmon River, the ancient French La 
Famine, rises in the central part of the plateau 
of the Lesser Wilderness in. the southwest 
corner of Lewis county, and runs westerly 
through the northern part of Oswego county 
into Lake Ontario. The Lesser Wilderness 
was one of the beaver-hunting countries of 
the Iroquois. The key to this hunting ground 



aller in traitte du Castor," which may be 
translated thus: " La Famine, the place 
where the greater part of the Iroquois em- 
barked to go upon the trail of the beaver. " 

The Lesser Wilderness of Northern New 
York is situated upon the long narrow plateau 
which stretches first westerly and then north- 
erly from the Upper Mohawk valley and the 
Oneida Lake almost to the village of Carthage. 
The rocky ground-work of this plateau is 
composed of level strata of limestone and 
slate, which rise in a series of terraces of a 
mile or two in width from its borders into a 
high level table land, which has an elevation 
of nearly 2,000 feet above the level of the sea. 
Upon the central part of this table land are 
situated the forests, swamps, marshes and 
wild meadows of the Lesser Wilderness. 



CASTORLAND, AND THE FRENCH SETTLEMENT THERE. 



171 



Down the more regular terraces of its west- 
ern slope, locally called Tug Hill, the streams 
which rise in the swamps of the Lesser Wil- 
derness hurry in a series of falls and cascades 
into the Black River, wearing deep chasms in 
the yielding rocks along their courses. Among 
these streams are the Deer River, the Silver- 
mine, the Martin, the Whetstone and other 
creeks. 

This Lesser Wilderness was one of the most 
famous hunting grounds of the Indian. Its 
woods were literally filled with game, and its 
streams with fish. La Hontan says that there 
were so many salmon in La Famine River that 
they often brought up a hundred at one cast 
of the net. 

Castorland. 

The summer tourist, on his way from Tren- 
ton Falls to the Thousand Islands, may pass 
through the beautiful and flourishing valley 
of the Black River, over the Utica and Black 
River Railroad. As the train draws near to 
the first station north of the village of Low- 
ville, he will hear the sharp voice of the 
brakeman crying out " Cas-tor-land." He 
will look out of the car window and see a 
wide level clearing of pasture-land and 
meadow, skirted by forests, one side of which 
is bounded by the river. In the middle of 
this clearing he will see only the small station 
house, and three or four scattered buildings 
surrounding it, and will doubtless wonder 
whence comes the high-sounding name for 
such meagre surroundings. 

The story of Castorland is the often re- 
peated tale of frustrated settlements in the 
old wilderness — the story of an attempt of the 
exiled nobility and clergy of the old regime in 
France to found a settlement in the wilds of 
the New World, where they could find a 
secure retreat from the horrors of the Revolu- 
tion in the Old. 

This attempt was made at the close of the 
last century in the valley of the Black River, 
on the western slope of the Great Wilderness. 
But, like the settlement of the first Catholics 
on the Patuxent, the Jacobites with Flora Mc- 
Donald at Cape Fear, the Huguenots with 



Jean Ribault at Port Royal ; like New Amster- 
dam on the Hudson, New Sweden on the 
Delaware ; like Acadie in Nova Scotia, — Cas- 
torland on the Black River lives now only in 
poetry and history. Its story is one of bril- 
liant promises all unfulfilled, of hopes defer- 
red, of man's tireless but fruitless endeavor, 
of woman's tears. 

To rescue this name so fraught with histor- 
ical associations from oblivion, it was applied 
to the railroad station which is nearest to the 
site of the largest projected city of ancient 
Castorland. That city was laid out on the 
Beaver River, which flows into the Black 
River from the wilderness nearly opposite this 
station. 

For the purpose of effecting the settlement 
of Castorland a company was formed in Paris, 
under the laws of France, in the month of 
August, 1792, and styled La Compagnie de 
New York. On the 31st day of the same 
month the company, by its agent, Pierre 
Chassanis, bought a large tract of land lying 
in the valley of the Black River, of William 
Constable, who was the owner of Macomb's 
Purchase. This tract lay along both sides of 
the Black River below the High Falls, and ex- 
tended westerly through the counties of Lewis 
and Jefferson to Lake Ontario, and easterly 
into the heart of the Great Wilderness. The 
Castorland purchase at first comprised the 
whole of great lot No. 5 of Macomb's pur- 
chase, and contained 610,000 acres. But sub- 
sequently all south and west of the Black 
River, being the part which now constitutes 
the richest towns of Lewis and Jefferson coun- 
ties, was given up, and only that lying to the 
north and east of the river retained. The 
portion so retained contained only 210,000 
acres. This was the Castorland of the olden 
times. 

The name Castorland, that is to say, the 
Land of Beavers, is doubtless a literal transla- 
tion of the old Indian word, which means the 
" Beaver Hunting Country," Castorland being 
taken out of the western half of this old In- 
dian hunting ground. 

During the negotiations between Constable 
and Chassanis for this tract, the French Revo- 



172 



A SOUVENIR OF THE ST. LAWRENCE RIVER. 



lution, that had been so long smouldering, burst 
forth in all its savage fury, and the streets of 
Paris were slippery with human gore. Con- 
stable locked the door of the apartment in 
which they met, with the remark that " if they 
parted before the purchase was completed 
they might never meet again." The palace of 
the Tuilleries was already surrounded by the 
bloodthirsty mob. The attendants of the 
royal family were butchered, and the feeble 
king cast into a dungeon. In comparison 
with such awful scenes as these in the very 
heart of the highest civilization the world had 
ever seen, the savage wilderness of the old 
American forests was a scene of peaceful rest. 
To the fugitive noblesse of France, the former 
possessors of great titles, rank, wealth and 
culture, the quiet shades of Castorland af- 
forded a secure asylum from the horrors of 
the Reign of Terror. 

Scheme of Settlement. 
A romantic scheme was at once conceived 
and perfected by the company in Paris for the 
settlement of Castorland. In pursuance of 
this scheme a pamphlet was printed in Paris 
and issued by the Company, containing a pro- 
gramme of colonization under its auspices. 
This pamphlet was entitled "Association for 
the purchase and settlement of 600,000 acres 
of land, granted by the State of New York, 
and situated within that State, between the 
43d and 44th degrees of latitude, upon Lake 
Ontario, and thirty-five leagues from the city 
and port of Albany, where vessels land from 
Europe." It set forth, among other things, in 
glowing colors, the wealth of agriculture pre- 
sented by its fertile soil, the fine distribution 
of its waters, its facilities for an extended com- 
merce on account of its location in the vicinity 
of a dense population, and above all the 
security afforded to its inhabitants by the laws 
of a people who were independent and rich 
with their own capital, thus extending to the 
immigrant all the benefits of liberty with none 
of its drawbacks. It was stated that the ob- 
ject of the proprietors was to form of the 
colony a sort of family, in some way united by 
common interests and common wants, and 



that to maintain this union of interests a plan 
had been devised that rendered each member 
directly interested in the whole property. It 
was to be done by and in the name of Sieur 
Chassanis, in whose name they had purchased 
the estate, and who alone had power to issue 
certificates of ownership. 

There were 6,000 certificates to be issued, 
each entitling the holder thereof to ownership 
in manner following : The whole tract at that 
time consisted of 630,000 acres. Of this 600,- 
000 were divided into 12,000 lots of fifty acres 
each, and the price of each share fixed at 800 
livres ($152.38). In the beginning, 6,000 lots 
were set apart for individual properties, and 
the other 6,000 lots were to belong to a com- 
mon stock which was to be divided at some 
future time, after improvements had been 
made thereon by the company. Each holder 
of a certificate was to receive at once a deed 
for a separate lot of fifty acres, to be drawn 
by lot, and also a lot of fifty acres in the com- 
mon undivided stock. 

Of the 30,000 remaining acres, 2,000 were 
set apart for a city to be formed on the great 
river in the interior, and 2,000 more foi 
another city on Lake Ontario, at the mouth 
of the Black River, which was to form a 
port and entrepot of commerce. Among 
artisans 6,000 acres were to be divided and 
rented to them at twelve sous per acre. The 
proceeds of the 20,000 acres remaining were 
to be expended by the Company in the con- 
struction of roads, bridges and other improve- 
ments. 

The two cities were divided into 14,000 lots 
each. Of these lots, 2,000 were set apart for 
churches, schools, markets, etc. The remain- 
ing 12,000 lots were to be divided among the 
6,000 holders of certificates in the same man- 
ner as the large tract, — each holding one 
separate lot and one in common. 

The affairs of the company were to be man- 
aged by five trustees, three to remain in Paris 
and two upon the tract. 

Such was the scheme matured in the salons 

of Paris for the settlement of Castorland. 

Beautiful and promising beyond measure upon 

aper, as an ideal, but utterly impracticable 



CASrORLAND, AND THE FRENCH SETTLEMENT THERE. 



173 



and bitterly disappointing as a reality. Yet 
many shares were eagerly taken. 

Organization. 

On the 28th of June, 1793, it being the 
second year of the French Republic, the actual 
holders of certificates convertible into shares 
of La Compagnie de New York met in the 
rooms of Citizen Chassanis, in Paris, to organ- 
ize their society upon the basis already estab- 
lished, and to regulate the division, survey 
and settlement of their lands. There were 
present at that meeting forty-one shareholders 
in all, who represented 1,880 shares. They per- 
fected and completed their organization; they 
adopted a long and elaborate constitution ; they 
chose a seal for their corporation, and ap- 
pointed five commissaries to manage its af- 
fairs, three for Paris and two for Castorland. 
In the meantime the tract had been re-con- 
veyed, and the large part lying west and south 
of the Black River given up, the part retained 
being that lying east and north of the river, 
and containing only 210,000 acres. To ac- 
cord with this fact the number of shares was 
reduced from 6,000 to 2,000. It was at this 
meeting that a silver piece was ordered to be 
struck, termed a "Jetton de presence," one 
of which was to be given at every meeting to 
each commissary as an attendance fee.* [See 
engraving, p. 170.] 

* These pieces occur in coin cabinets, and have 
been erroneously called "Castorland half-dollars." 
A jetton is a piece of metal struck with a device, and 
distributed to be kept in commemoration of some 
event, or to be used as a counter in games of chance. 
The one here noticed was termed a "jetton de pre- 
sence," or piece "given in certain societies or com- 
panies to each of the members at a session or meet- 
ing." It was engraved b}' one of the Duvivier 
brothers, eminent coin and metal artists of Paris. 
The design represents on the obverse the head of 
Cybele, who personified the earth as inhabited or 
cultivated, while on the reverse Ceres has just tap- 
ped a maple tree, in which will be observed a spout 
provided with a stop to withhold the sweet sap when 
it flowed too fast ' 

The Latin legend on the reverse is a quotation 
from Virgil, which, with its context, reads : 

" Salva magna parens frtigum, Saturnia tellus 
magna virum." 



The coinmissaries appointed for America 
were Simon Desjardines and Pierre Pharoux, 
who lost no time in proceeding to America to 
execute their important trust. Desjardines 
had been a Chamberlain of Louis XVI. He 
was of middle age, an accomplished scholar 
and gentleman, but knew not a word of English 
when he arrived. He had with him his wife 
and three children, and his younger brother, 
Geoffry Desjardines, who shared his labors 
and trials. He also brought with him his 
library of 2,000 volumes. Pierre Pharoux, 
the surveyor, who was afterwards drowned, was 
a distinguished young architect and engineer 
of Paris, of high scientific attainments and 
marked ability. He was earnestly and faith- 
fully devoted to his duties; and his love of 
science, his honesty, his good sense, and 
genial and ardent friendship were manifested 
in all his doings. He left behind hiin in 
France an aged father to mourn his untimely 
death. 

They sailed from Havre on the 4th day of 
July, 1793, in the American ship Liberty, but 
did not arrive in New York until the 7th of 
September following. There came over in the 
same vessel with them a young French refugee 
named Mark Isambart Brunei, who afterward 
filled the world with his fame as an engineer 
in England. Brunei had been in the French 
navy, and was driven from home on account 
of his royalistic proclivities. He went with 
them in all their journeys through the wilder- 
ness, and shared in all their hardships during 
the first year, but does not seem to have been 
employed by them in Castorland. 

Their First Exploration. 

Soon after their arrival in this country, 
Desjardines and Pharoux, with their friend 
Brunei, set out on a voyage of exploration to 
their " promised land " in the wild valley of 
the Black River. To realize the difficulties 
of the undertaking, the reader must bear in 
mind that the country they were in quest of 
lay far from Albany in the depths of a howling 
wilderness, which had then never been visited 
by white men, except around its border, or 
when carried across it as prisoners in savage 



174 



A SOUVENIR OF THE ST. LAWRENCE RIVER. 



hands ; that the only route to it was up the 
Mohawk, in batteaux, to Fort Stanwix, now 
the city of Rome ; thence by the way of Wood 
creek, the Oneida lake, and the Oswego river 
to Lake Ontario, and from Lake Ontario up 
the unexplored route of the Black River. It was 
over the old Indian trail, the savage warpath 
of the French and Indian and of the Revolu- 
tionary wars, and even then there was threat- 
ened a general Indian war by all the tribes 
around our borders. But in the face of all 
these difficulties our explorers, in the autumn 
of 1793, set out for Castorland. 

In describing their passage over the carry- 
ing place from Fort Stanwix to Wood creek, 



of these trunks, presenting at once the images 
of life and death." 

The fort at Oswego was still held by a 
British garrison. Jealous of Frenchmen, the 
commander at first refused to allow them to 
pass into Lake Ontario, but it was finally 
arranged that Brunei should remain as a 
hostage for the good conduct and safe return 
of the others. Brunei, however, was refused 
access to the fort, and was ordered to encamp 
alone in the woods on the opposite side of the 
river. Considering that such treatment in- 
validated his parole, he escaped from Oswego 
disguised as a common sailor, and proceeded 
with his friends on their expedition. They 




near where the four busy tracks of the New 
York Central Railroad now run, they wrote in 
their journal, under date of October loth : 
" Upon taking a walk into the woods a short 
distance we saw on every hand it was a fear- 
ful solitude. You are stopped sometimes by 
impassable swamps, and at other times by 
heaps of trees that have fallen from age or 
have been overthrown by storms, and among 
which an infinite number of insects and many 
squirrels find a retreat. On every hand we 
see the skeletons of trees overgrown with 
moss and in every stage of decay. , The capil- 
laire and other plants and shrubs spring out 



proceeded cautiously along the shore of the 
lake over the route that had become historic 
by the presence of M. de la Barre and his 
army in their visit to La Famine in 1684, and 
of Father Charlevoix in 1720, and which had 
so often been traversed by their countrymen 
in the palmy days of the old French occu- 
pancy, until their arrival at Niaoure bay, now 
called Black River bay. Here after a long 
search they discovered the mouth of the 
Black River, the great river that watered Cas- 
torland. But it was already so late in the 
season that they only explored the river up to 
the point some five or six miles above the falls 



CASTORLAND, AND THE FRENCH SETTLEMENT THERE. 



175 



at Watertown, and then returned to Albany 
to complete their preparations for the next 
year's journey. 

In the autumn of 1855, the Hon. Amelia M. 
Murray, maid of honor to Queen Victoria, 
made a tour of the United States and Canada, 
through the lake belt of the Wilderness, over 
the route now so much travelled. Her 
companions were Gov. Horatio Seymour, 
the Governor's niece and other friends. 
On their way they stopped, of course, at 
Arnold's. But I will let the Lady Amelia 
tell the story in her own words, as 
written in her diary, under date of Sep- 
tember 20, 1855 : " Mr. Seymour re- 
mained to make arrangements with the 
guides, while his niece and I walked on 
to Arnold's farm. There we found Mrs. 
Arnold and six daughters. These girls, 
aged from twelve to twenty, were placed 
in a row against one wall of the shanty, 
with looks so expressive of astonishment, 
that I felt puzzled to account for their 
manner, till their raothei informed us 
they had never before seen any other 
woman than herself ! I could not elicit 
a word from them, but, at last, when I 
begged for a little milk, the eldest went 
and brought me a glass (tin cup). Then 
I remembered that we had met a single 
hunter rowing himself on the Moose 
River, who called out, ' Where on 'arth 
do them women come from ? ' And our 
after experience fully explained why 
ladies are such rare birds in that locality." 

The Settlement of Castorland. 

The next spring, being in the year 1794, the 
Desjardines Brothers and Pharoux, with a 
large company of men, with their surveyors 
and assistants, took up their toilsome journey 
from Schenectady to their forest possessions, 
being this time fully equipped to begin their 
settlement. Their route this year was up the 
Mohawk in batteaux to Fort Schuyler, now 
Utica, thence overland across the Deerfield 
hills sixteen miles, to the log house of Baron 
Steuben, who had then just commenced his 
improvements upon his tract of 16,000 acres 



granted him by the State. From Steuben's it 
was twenty-four miles further through the 
trackless forest to the High Falls on the Black 
River in Castorland. 

The difficulties of the journey then still be- 
fore them can scarcely be imagined by the 
reader of to-day. At length they reached 




•^B-MuSKAULONGE 



Ji 



their tract on the welcome banks of the Black 
River, and began their labors. But there is no 
space in these pages to follow them in their 
operations, in their sore trials and their bitter 
disappointments, their final discomfiture and 
utter failure. 

Suffice it to say that they began a little set- 
tlement on the banks of the Black River, at 
the place now called Lyon's Falls. That they 
surveyed their lands and laid out one of their 
cities, Castorville, on the Beaver river, at a 
place now called Beaverton, opposite the 
little station now called Castorland, in mem- 
ory of their enterprise. That they laid out 



176 



A SOUVENIR OF THE ST. LAWRENCE RIVER. 



their other city, the lake port, which they 
named "City of Basle," at what is now Dex- 
ter, below Watertown, and in 1795 they 
founded the present village of Carthage. That 
Pharoux was accidentally drowned in the river 
at Watertown in the fall of 1795. That Des- 
jardines gave up the agency in despair in 1797 
and was succeeded by Rudolphe Tillier, 
" Member of the Sovereign Council of Berne," 
who in turn gave place to Gouverneur Morris 
in 1800, and that the lands finally became the 
property of James Donatien Le Ray de Chau- 
mont, his associates and grantees. 

"After toil and many troubles, self-exiled for many 

years, 
Long delays and sad misfortunes, man's regrets and 

woman's tears; 
Unfulfilled the brilliant outset, broken as a chain of 

sand. 
Were the golden expectations by Grande Rapides' 

promised land." 

Death of Pierre Pharoux. 
One of the saddest incidents in the story of 
Castorland is the death of Pharoux, at the 
falls of Watertown, in 1795. In September 
of that year, after the river had been swollen 
by heavy rains, Pharoux set out with Brod- 
head, Tassart and others, all surveyors, on a 
journey to Kingston. In passing down the 
river on a raft, they were drawn over the falls. 
Mr. Brodhead and three men were saved, but 
Pharoux was drowned. The survivors made 
unremitting search for Pharoux's body, but it 
was not found until the following spring. It 
was washed ashore upon an island at the 
mouth of Black River, where it was found by 
Benjamin Wright, the surveyor, and by him 
decently buried there. M. LeRay de Chau- 



mont many years afterwards caused a marble 
tablet to be set in the rock near his grave, 
bearing this inscription: 

TO THE MEMORY OF 

PIERRE PHAROUX, 

This Island is Consecrated. 

The reader will remember that the year be- 
fore his death, Pharoux had discovered and 
named the river Independence, in Castorland, 
and had selected a beautiful spot at its mouth 
on the Black River, near a large flat granite 
rock, for his residence. This spot, called by 
the Desjardines Brothers Independence Rock, 
was ever afterwards regarded by them with 
melancholy interest. They could not pass it 
without shedding tears to the memory of 
their long-tried and trusted friend. Under 
date of May 28, 1796, Simon Desjardines, the 
elder brother, recorded in his journal : 
" Landed at half-past two at Independence 
Rock, and visited once more this charming 
spot which had been so beautifully chosen by 
our friend Pharoux as the site for his house. 
The azaleas in full bloom loaded the air with 
their perfume, and the wild birds sang 
sweetly around their nests, but nature has no 
longer any pleasant sights, nor fragrance, nor 
music, for me." 

Castorland, Adieu ! 

And now ancient Castorland may be added 
to the long list of names once famous in the 
cities of Europe, and long celebrated in the 
forest annals of Northern New York, but now 
forgotten, and found only in history and song 
— feebly commemorated by the name of an 
insignificant railway station. 



^m 



HISTORY OF THE LOST CHANNEL. 



177 



ART OF THE ANGLER. 



As fish have grown more knowing, man has grown 
more cunning, and has devised new schemes to out- 
wit his prey. Now, instead of fishing downstream, 
he fishes upstream, that he may be below and behind 
the fish, and, therefore, less in sight; for fish, it must 
be borne in mind, always lie with their heads up- 
stream. Moreover, where he used to stand, he now 
kneels or crawls. That his rod may not be seen he 
moves horizontally — not vertically, as of old — -and he 
never, if he can help it, allows the point to extend 
over the water. That his line may be seen as little 
as possible, he no longer searches the water at hap- 
hazard but reserves his cast until he has found and 
noted the e.\act position of a rising fish, or, at any 
rate, of a fish lying so near the surface as to suggest 
the strong probability that it is on the watch for 
flies. Then, instead of using two or three files, he 
selects one, imitating, as closely as may be, in color 
and size, the natural flies he has observed on the 
water. 
This he deftly casts, so that it shall fall on the water 



as lightly as a flake of snow, some 18 inches or so 
above the fish, and floats with its wings erect — 
"apeak," as they say of a cutter's foresail — and he 
allows it, without check or suspicious movement, to 
be carried by the stream over the nose of the trout. 
At the same moment, if fortune smiles, he sees a 
bubble rise, hears a faint sound like a baby's kiss, 
and the tug of war begins. If the trout refuses, or 
if the cast was not quite accurately made, he lets the 
drift float on, far below the fish, so that the ripple 
may not disturb the trout, and proceeds, verberare 
nebulas, to dry his fly by whipping it backward and 
forward through the air until it is once more buoy- 
ant. He then tries it again. Should the trout refuse 
at the second time of asking, the angler, if wise, will 
change his fly ; if very wise, will change his fish, 
making a mental note to call again. This slight 
sketch will enable the reader to see the importance 
of closely imitating the flies on the water, and the 
skill required in presenting the counterfeit to the 
fish. 



HISTORY OF THE LOST CHANNEL. 



During the French and English war, which began 
in 1755 and ended in 1760, an expedition was fitted 
out at Oswego, in August of the latter year, for the 
final subjugation of the Canadas. The only remain- 
ing strongholds of the French were Montreal, and 
a strong fort on an island in the St. Lawrence river, 
about three miles below the present city of Ogdens- 
burg, known as Fort Levis, commanded by a dis- 
tinguished French officer — Capt. Pouchot. The ex- 
pedition consisted of 10,142 British regulars and 
Colonial troops from Massachusetts, Connecticut, 
New York and New Jersey. Among the Massachu- 
setts troops was Israel Putnam, of Revolutionary 
fame, then a lieutenant- colonel. In addition to these 
troops, there was a force of about 1,000 Indians, 
under the command of Sir William Johnson. The 
commander of the expedition was Gen. Jeffrey Am- 
herst, the second in command being Gen. Gage, of 
Boston fame. At that time the English had two 
armed vessels on Lake Ontario, the "Onondaga" 
and the "Mohawk," commanded by Capt. John 
Loring, as admiral of the fleet, which consisted of 
the two vessels, 177 batteaux and 72 whale boats, 
besides staff boats, hospital boats, and boats for 
sutler's use. The first detachment of troops sailed 
in the two vessels on the 7th of August, for the 
rendezvous at "Basin Harbor," Grenadier Island, at 
the head 01 the St. Lawrence river. On the 13th, the 



entire army were assembled on the island, and early 
on the morning of the 14th the entire expedition set 
forth. Capt. Loring, with the two vessels, had gone 
ahead, and instead of keeping straight down the 
South channel, he crossed just below the foot of 
Wolfe Island into the Canadian channel. The 
French had been expecting an attack from this direc- 
tion for a whole year ; and, in consequence, had 
kept a lookout on Carleton Island, from which point 
they could readily see when the British forces en- 
tered the river ; and with swift war canoes they 
could easily convey the intelligence to the fort 
below. When Capt. Loring had fairly entered the 
Navy group, he was assailed on every hand. The 
islands seemed to swarm with French and Indians, 
who were raking his deck with musketry. To add 
to his discomfiture, he knew nothing of the river nor 
of the labyrinth of islands in which he found him- 
self ; but, lowering away a boat and crew, he sent 
them back to prevent the "Mohawk" from entering 
the island group ; and manning his guns, he swept 
the islands around him with grape and cannister, as 
he drifted with the current, he knew not whither. 
Fortunately, he got safely clear of the islands, when, 
coming to an anchor, he sent two other boats to find 
the first one sent out, but they returned unsuccess- 
ful ; nor could they even distinguish which of the 
channels was the one in which the first boat was 



178 



A SOUVENIR OF THE ST. LAWRENCE RIVER. 



lowered. They never saw boat nor crew again ; and 
ever afterward, in speaking of it, they called it the 
"Place of the Lost Channel." Two or three years 
later, the crew of a batteau found a broken yawl 
boat bearing the name "Onondaga," at the head of 
one of the channels, which, since that time, has been 
known as the "Lost Channel." and which Cap. 
Visger so happily renamed. The probability is that 



the crew of the yawl boat were killed and scalped 
by the Indians, and their boat stove and sunk ; 
and, after all, we have no absolute certainty that 
this, more than any other of the numerous channels 
on every hand, was the one in which Capt. Loring 
first lowered his yawl boat. All that Capt. Loring's 
journal says about that part of it is the simple state- 
ment that they "called it the place of the lost channel." 



WHAT CAUSED THE GREAT ST. LAWRENCE RIVER, AND WHY DOES IT 

FLOW WHERE IT DOES? 



PREPARED BY F. A. HINDS, C. E., OF WATERTOWN. 

/^THESE are questions that will ever present the law, has on the Pacific side — the side of 
^ themselves as the majesty and immensity the great ocean — the Rocky Mountains, on 
of this noble river impress themselves upon us. the Atlantic side the low Appalachians, and 

Prof. James D. Dana, of Yale College, 
in his Manual of Geology, declares it is 
not by chance, or a haphazard circum- 
stance, that there is a great water-course 
flowing through a valley to the eastward 
in the middle of the North American 
continent; but that it is " a law of the 
system of surface-forms of continents." 
In his chapter on Physiographic Geology 
he says : 

" First. The continents have in gen- 
eral elevated mountain-borders and a 
low or basin-like interior. 

" Secondly. The highest border faces 
the larger ocean. 

"A survey of the continents in suc- 
cession with reference to this law will 
exhibit both the unity of system among 
them and the peculiarities of each, de- 
pendent on their different relations to 
the oceans. 

" The two Americas are alike in lying 
between the Atlantic and the Pacific ; 
moreover. South America is set so far to 
the east of North America (being east of 
the meridian of Niagara Falls), that each 
has an almost entire ocean-contour. 
Moreover, each is triangular in outline, 
with the widest part, or head, to the 
north . 

" North America, in accordance with 




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tA 
iJ 

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WHAT CAUSED THE GREAT ST. LAWRENCE RIVER? 



179 



between the two there is the great plain of the 
interior. 

" To the north of North America Hes the 
small Arctic ocean, much encumbered with 
land ; and, correspondingly, there is no dis- 
tinct mountain-chain facing the ocean. 

" The characteristics of the interior plain of 
the continent are well displayed in its river 
systems : the great Mississippi system turned 
to the south, and making its exit into the Gulf 
of Mexico between the approaching extremi- 
ties of the eastern and western mountain 
range; the St. Lawrence sloping off north- 
eastward; the Mackenzie, to the northward; 
the central area of the plain dividing the three 
systems being only about 1,700 feet above the 
ocean, a less elevation than about the head- 
waters of the Ohio in the State of New York. 

" South America, like North America, has 
its great western range of mountains, and its 
smaller eastern; and the Brazilian line is 
closely parallel to that of the Appalachians. 
As the Andes face the South Pacific, a wider 
and probably much deeper ocean than the 
North Pacific, so they are more than twice the 
height of the Rocky Mountains, and, more- 
over, they rise more abruptly from the ocean, 
with narrow shore plains. 

" Unlike North America, South America has 
a broad ocean on the north — the North At- 
lantic, in its longest diameter ; and, accord- 
ingly, this northern coast has its mountain 
chain reaching along through Venezuela and 
Guiana. 

" The drainage of South America, as observed 
by Professor Guyot, is closely parallel with 
that of North America. There are iirst, a 
southern — the La Plata — reaching the At- 
lantic towards the south, between the converg- 
ing east and west chains, like the Mississippi; 
second, an eastern system — - that of the Ama- 
zon — corresponding to the St. Lawrence, 
reaching the same ocean just north of the 
eastern mountain border; and, third, a northern 
system — ■ that of the Orinoco — draining the 
slopes or mountains north of the Amazon 
system. The two Americas are thus singu- 
larly alike in system of structure; they are 
built on one model." 



Thus one of the most noted and most cred- 
ited geologists of our time, declares it to be 
as it were a fixed law, in the forming of con- 
tinents, that there should be a great river sys- 
tem flowing from the middle portion of each 
continent eastward, or toward the lesser ocean. 

Whatever may have been the conditions of 
this locality in the earlier ages of the world, 
with regard to subsidences and elevations of 
the earth's crust, it is quite probable that the 
relation between the river valley and the ad- 
joining hills and mountains has remained 
approximately the same; that is, it was always 
a valley. 

There is evidence, however, that there was 
an age when even this mighty river was turned 
back upon itself, and the waters were refused 
an outlet to the sea. This evidence is found 
in the elevated lake borders and gravel or 
pebble ridges that are to be seen along the 
adjoining highlands in New York State and 
Ohio. 

Prof. G. Frederick Wright, of Oberlin Col- 
lege, in his book, "The Ice Age in North 
America," after discussing the present topog- 
raphy of Ohio, and the evidence that glacial 
action has changed the course of many ancient 
streams, says : 

" On coming to the region of the Great 
Lakes, the influence of ice-barriers in maintain- 
ing vast bodies of water at a high level is very 
conspicuous. Around the south shore of 
Lake Erie there is an ascending series of 
what are called lake ridges. These are com- 
posed of sand and gravel, and consist largely of 
local material, and seem to maintain through- 
out their entire length a definite level with 
reference to the lake, though accurate meas- 
urements have not been made over the whole 
field. The approximation, however, is suffi- 
ciently perfect to permit us to speak of them 
as maintaining a uniform level. These ridges 
can be traced for scores of miles in a continu- 
ous line, and in the early settlement of the 
country were largely utilized for roads. In 
Loraine county, Ohio, an ascending series of 
four ridges can be distinguished at different 
levels above the lake. The highest is from 
200 to 220 feet above it ; the next is approxi- 



i8o 



A SOUVENIR OF THE ST. LAWRENCE RIVER. 



niately 150 to 160 feet; the next lower is from 
100 to 118 feet, and the next lower less than 
100 feet, while some appear on the islands 
near Sandusky, which are not over 70 f^et 
above the water level. Eastward from Buf- 
falo portions of this series have been traced, 
according to Gilbert, until they disappear 
against the highlands, near Alden, on the 
Erie railroad. 

That the ridges on Lake Erie mark tem- 
porary shore-lines of the lakes cannot well be 
doubted, for they are not related to any great 
natural lines of drainage, but follow the wind- 
ings of a definite level, receding from the lake 
wherever there is a transverse valley, and 
forming in some cases parallel embankments 
on either side of such valley, running inland 
as far as to the general level of the se- 
ries, and then returning on itself upon the 
other side, to strike off again parallel with 
the shore at the same level. Their relation 
to the lake is also shown by the local charac- 
ter of the material. It is usually such as 
would wash up on the shore out of the rock 
in place. In the sandstone region the ridges 
are largely made up of sand, mingled with 
fragments from the general glacial deposit. 
Over the regions of out-cropping shales, the 
ridges are composed largely of the harder 
nodules which have successfully resisted the 
attrition of the waves. Other evidences that 
they are shore-deposits are their stratification, 
the relative steepness of their sides toward the 
lake and the frequent occurrence of the frag- 
ments of wood buried at greater or less depths 
on their outer margin. 

It need not be said that there has been 
much speculation concerning the cause which 
maintained the waters of the lakes at the 
levels indicated by these ridges, and permitted 
them to fall from the level of one to that of 
another in successive stages, so suddenly as 
they seem to have done; for, from the absence 
of intermediate deposits, it is evident that the 
formation of one ridge had no sooner been 
completed than the one at the next lower 
level began to form. In the earlier stages of 
glacial investigation, before the full power 
and flexibility of glacial ice were appreciated. 



and before the exact course of the southern 
boundary of the ice-sheet was known, the 
elevation of the water to produce these ridges 
was supposed to have resulted either from a 
general subsidence of the whole region to the 
ocean level, or from the elevation of a rocky 
barrier across the outlet. Both these theories 
were attended with insuperable difficulties. 
In the first place, there is no such amount of 
collateral evidence to support the theory of 
general subsidence as there should be if it 
really had occurred. The subsidence of the 
lake region to such an extent would have left 
countless other marks over a wide extent of 
country; but such marks are not to be found. 
Especially is there an absence of evidences of 
marine life. The cause was evidently more 
local than that of a general subsidence. The 
theory of the elevation of a rocky barrier 
would also seem to be ruled out of the field 
by the fact that no other direct evidence can 
be found of such recent local disturbances. 
Such facts as we have point to a subsidence 
at the east rather than to an elevation. 

But a glance at the course of the terminal 
moraine, and at the relation of the outlets of 
these lakes to the great ice movements of the 
glacial period, brings to view a most likely 
cause for this former enlargement and increase 
in height of the surface of the lower lakes. It 
will be noticed that the glacial front near 
New York city was about 100 miles further 
south than it was in the vicinity of Buffalo. 
Hence the natural outlet to the great lakes 
though the Mohawk Valley would not have 
been opened until the ice-front over New 
England and Eastern New York had retreated 
to the north well-nigh 150 miles. A similar 
amount of retreat of the ice-front from its 
farthest extension in Cattaraugus county, in 
New York, would have carried it back thirty 
miles to the north of Lake Ontario, while a 
similar amount of retreat from eastern Ohio 
would have left nearly all the present bed of 
Lake Erie free from glacial ice. With little 
doubt, therefore, we have, in the lake ridges 
of Upper Canada, New York and Ohio, evi- 
dence of the existence of an ice barrier which 
continued to fill the valley of the Mohawk, 



WHAT CAUSED THE GREAT ST. LAWRENCE RIVER? 



I8l 



and choke up the outlet through the St. Law- 
rence, long after the glacial front farther to 
the west had withdrawn itself to Canada soil. 
A study of these ridges may yet shed impor- 
tant light upon the length of time during 
which this ice barrier continued across the 
valley of the Mohawk. 

By the work of our local civil engineers in 
and about Jefferson county, it has been found 
that the gravel deposits and beds of water- 
worn pebbles found along the first escarpment 
of the Rutland Hills and the Dry Hills, so 
called, of Jefferson county, correspond in 
actual elevation with about loo feet above the 
level of Lake Erie, and, therefore, quite prob- 
ably mark a shore-line of the same lake re- 
ferred to by Professor Wright, as marked by 
gravel ridges along the south shore of Lake 
Erie and as loo feet above its level, and being 
caused by the damming up of both the St. 
Lawrence and the Mohawk River valleys. In 
this way we can also find a plausible theory 
for the formation of our own lower gravel 
ridges, in the fact that after the glacier front 
had receded farther, and the Mohawk Valley 
was opened as an outlet, the great inland lake 
was drawn down to a correspondingly lower 
level, and its waves and surface motion lashed 
a new shore-line, and gave us a new line of 
ridges and water-worn pebbles. 

The grooves and lines, and the polishing of 
the rocks in Jefferson county, show plainly 
that the general direction of the moving ice of 
this locality was in parallel lines with the gen- 
eral direction of the St. Lawrence River, only 
the ice was moving up-stream or to the south- 
east. The streams and valleys of Jefferson 
and St. Lawrence counties also in general 
follow the same trend. The Oswegatchie 
and the Indian Rivers flow first southwesterly 
and then, making a sharp turn, each flows 
back almost parallel with their former course 
and with the guiding trend of the St. Law- 
rence. Even the Grass and Raquette Rivers, 
further east, find themselves swung around 
into this general course. The same course is 
followed in the deep valley known as Rutland 
Hollow, about three miles east of the city of 
Watertown, and the Sandy Creek and Stony 



Brook in the southerly part of Jefferson 
county follow the same general course. The 
Black River itself, from the Great Bend to 
Watertown, takes the same course, and a val- 
ley now occupied by low, swampy land con- 
tinues the same direction to the lake, though 
the river itself, from Watertown city, takes a 
lower and shorter direction through rocky 
gorges to its present mouth at Dexter. 

During the period of this higher glacial lake 
the mouth of the Black River must have been 
near Carthage, and the great sand deposits in 
the towns of LeRay and Wilna, known as the 
Pine Plains, were probably the shoal water or 
sand-bar formation, such as usually occurs at 
the mouth of a stream where it enters a lake 
or sea. There was also, probably, a glacier 
coming down the Black River Valley and join- 
ing in, and following along with, the greater 
St. Lawrence Valley glacier, heretofore de- 
scribed, as moving to the south-west. The 
above fact is proven by the well-defined me- 
dial moraine, extending from near Carthage 
through near Tylerville and the towns of 
Rodman and Ellisburg, to the lake just south 
of Ellis village. This moraine is almost en- 
tirely of granitic stones and bowlders, the 
characteristic rock of the right bank of the 
Black River Valley, and the moraine itself 
from Carthage to the lake is exactly parallel 
with the St. Lawrence river. 

A glance at the map of the Thousand 
Islands shows the general outline of the 
islands to be long and narrow, and laid 
lengthwise of the river. An inspection of the 
rocks and ledges, and hills and valleys of the. 
adjoining shores, and the surface of the 
islands themselves, develop the fact that all 
have followed the same law of direction. 

The ice age no doubt has wrought great 
changes in the present surface forms, and to 
its influence we may properly ascribe the 
rounded and smoothed surfaces of the hard 
rocks and ledges, but it is also probable that 
there was a general direction given when the 
Azoic and Laurentian rocks were cooled off 
from the great molten mass, and that the St. 
Lawrence Valley, with its adjacent uplands, 
was an early and original form of the surface, 



1 82 



A SOUVENIR OF THE ST. LAWRENCE RIVER. 



and that the direction of the glacier move- 
ment here was due to this original configu- 
ration. 

The parallelism, however, of the streams 
and valleys of the adjoining country, and the 
grooving and wearing off of the rocky pro- 



jections, and the filling up of old channels, 
and the depositing of long lines of stones and 
bowlders, foreign to the locality where they 
are found, and the depositing of large areas of 
sand-beds — all these, and many other features, 
are, beyond doubt, the work of a glacial age. 



THE TECHNIQUE OF FISHING. 



IN Governor Alvord's most interesting and 
instructive articles upon the Great River, 
he has much to say about the " men he has 
met," and he speaks of all of them more as 
beloved comrades than as mere acquaintances 
or as the passing visitors of an hour ; but he 
does not say much about the technique, the 
appliances, the methods of fishing. Ourself 
an amateur, we have not failed to seek infor- 
mation upon the points indicated; and, like 
all amateurs, we try to believe that there is 
some " royal road to learning," by pursuing 
which we may exceptionally " get there " 
without the labor and inconveniences of learn- 
ing by experience. From the great Izaak 
Walton himself down to our own day, and 
taking our distinguished Governor Alvord 
as one of the brightest teachers of modern 
times in all arts piscatorial, the methods, the 
little incidentals by which the agile water- 
denizens are lured into the voracious frying- 
pan, have been much disputed — this grand 
"faculty" of becoming an expert fisherman 
being as elusive, various, and sometimes as 
intricate as wooing one of the fair sex, whose 
moods are often as contradictory as are those 
of the most artful muscalonge or bass, and 
yet, when captured, are almost " too sweet 
for anything." From the crookedest tree- 
limb, with a piece of twine at its end, to the 
jointed and polished rod, with silken line and 
silver reel, the margin is wide and ex])ensive. 
The poorest and the best of these appliances 
have each won great renown, but generally in 
the hands of those who know how to use 
them, the fish being largely democratic, and 
as willing to take a wriggling worm from a 
pin-hook as from one of Skinner's best treble- 



arranged, feather-decorated devices. As in 
all good things, in fishing there are many 
methods ; but in all fishing, good bait is an 
indispensable adjunct. With it you feel as a 
soldier feels with a good gun in his hand ; it 
is his guaranty of probable success. 

The improvements in fishing tackle have 
been immense during the past forty years. 
In 1849, the writer saw the elder Walton, long 
since dead, at work upon spoons that could 
not now be given away — yet of those rude 
attempts he could dispose readily of as many 
as he could put together. Chapman, at 
Theresa and Rochester, had made many 
beautiful and successful fishing appliances. 
But the most successful man in the business 
for very many years has been Mr. G. M. 
Skinner, of Clayton, whose goods are now 
known all over the United States and Canada. 
He began to study the art piscatorial upon the 
Great River itself, having been long a resident 
of Gananoque, Ontario, in his early youth. 
He finally located at Clayton, a place possess- 
ing some advantages not apparent to the 
superficial observer, among them being a 
prominent angling resort and the principal 
gateway for tourists coming to the river over 
the only avenue on the American side, viz. : 
the N. Y. C. System, comprising the R., W. & 
O., and U. & B. R. R. R. It is the distribut- 
ing point for those desiring to reach, by 
water, the numerous islands and parks in its 
immediate vicinity, and, also, the fashionable 
resort, twelve miles down the river, of Alex- 
andria Bay. 

In this romantic and favored vicinity he 
served his apprenticeship in fishing and ex- 
perimenting with all sorts, sizes and shapes of 



THE TECHNIQUE OF FISHING. 



183 



artificial baits obtainable. He was not content, 
but strove to construct a spoon for his own use, 
which should have decided advantages over 
any used. As a result of such effort, two 
corrugated or fluted spoons were made; one 
being given to a fishing companion, the other 
he retained for his own use. In numerous 
practical trials, these two spoons gave satis- 
factory evidence of having uncommon merit, 
notably in the capture, by his wife and self, 
of a muscalonge, measuring four feet eleven 
inches in length and weighing forty pounds. 

Mr. Skinner himself says: "I have been fre- 
quently asked, what I considered a spoon to 
represent, as revolving while fishing, and why 
are fish attracted by them to such an extent 
that they will seize them, even when unpro- 
vided with any other attraction save the glint 
of the cold metal. In reply, I offer those of 
an inquisitive turn my humble opinion that 
the motion or action of a revolving lure, un- 
questionably simulates or means, life — prey, 
to fish, and as a natural sequence, life means 
food — sustenance. " 

Mr. Skinner also relates the following: "A 
party from Clayton went to Hay Bay, Bay of 
Quinte, to fish for muscalonge. The water in 
Hay Bay is not very deep where the fish are 
caught and the weeds come very near the sur- 
face. To prevent the trolling-spoon fouling, a 
gang of naked hooks is attached to the line some 



distance ahead of the spoon, which breaks oif 
or pulls up the weeds and allows the spoon to 
go free. Messrs. D. Pratt and Edwin Sey- 
mour, of Syracuse, were fishing in one boat. 
Mr. Seymour, in letting out line, felt a tug 
when the line was out but a few yards. Turn- 
ing he saw the water break where the naked 
hook was and commenced to ha'ul in, finding 
he had caught a muscalonge upon the naked 
or weed-guard hook. 

" One of the party trolling with two hand 
lines caught a large pike under somewhat un- 
usual circumstances. The voracious fish had 
captured one troll and made a race for and 
secured the other, having both of them se- 
curely hooked in his mouth when hauled in. 

" A most unusual occurrence I would like 
to place on record. In August, 1883, Miss 
Annie Lee, at that time eleven years of age, 
while trolling near Clayton for bass, with a 
No. 3 gold fluted spoon, which size is fitted 
with a No. 2 hook, struck and successfully 
brought to boat a muscalonge weighing 
thirty-six pounds, measuring four feet six 
inches in length. In the effort to secure this 
large fish the guide's gaff was broken, show- 
ing the enormous strength of the fish, yet it 
was finally secured, brought in and exhibited 
with those slight hooks still fast in its capa- 
cious mouth — an evidence not only of good 
tackle, but of skillful handling." 




TWO OF G. M, SKINNER S COMBINATION BAITS, 



GANANOQUE-PAST AND PRESENT. 



/^ HE pleasant village of Gananoque, with a 
T^ population of about four thousand souls, 
situated on the north shore of the St. Law- 
rence, opposite Clayton, and at the outlet of 
Gananoque River, is a place of no small im- 
portance as a manufacturing center. It has 
an excellent water power, aggregating many 
hundreds of horse-power, much more of which 
might be utilized for manufacturing purposes. 

As a place of summer resort, it possesses 
exceptional advantages in the way of locality. 
Its position at the foot of the " Admiralty 
Group " of islands, in which is " Bostwick 
Channel," the finest in many respects of any 
of the island channels in the river (the entire 
group being made up of islands in themselves 
exceedingly picturesque), is, in its entirety, 
one of great beauty and attractiveness. Al- 
ready cottages are erected on many of the 
islands, and as the great desirableness of the 
locality becomes better known, the number of 
these cannot fail to increase; and still more 
so, if the present very unjust and inconsistent 
policy of the Ottawa government should be 
modified, as, indeed, it should be for the 
benefit of the village of Gananoque itself. 

The name " Gananoque " is evidently of 
Indian origin; but which of two Indian names 
as first applied to the locality is to be consid- 
ered as having given rise to the present name, 
is a matter of some doubt. The original or- 
thography of the word was " Cadanoryhqua," 
meaning the " Place of Health," or what was 
evidently a synonymous phrase " Rocks-Seen- 
Under-Running-Water," both of which are 
descriptive of the locality, so far as physical 
conditions and a natural fact are concerned. 
On the other hand, the Hurons called the 



place "Gananoqui," which means "The 
Place of the Deer." Another tribe translates 
their term to mean "A meadow rising out of 
the waters," so that the real source from which 
the present name is derived is a matter of 
some doubt. Be that as it may, the Missis- 
sauga name " Cadanoryhqua " was for several 
years retained in official documents, and it 
was not until after the year 1800 that the 
name " Gananoque " came into use. At the 
time of the survey of Leeds, the name of 
the Gananoque River was changed to " The 
Thames," but it never was generally used; in 
fact it only appears in a proclamation of Lord 
Dorchester (Sir Guy Carlton) while for the 
second time Governor-General of Canada, in 
1788. 

From the variety and extent of its manu- 
facturing interests, Gananoque has been, not 
inaptly, named the Birmingham of Canada, 
and as a settlement has now entered upon 
the second century of its existence. A brief 
sketch of its early settlement may be of some 
interest to the general reader, and is therefore 
subjoined. Two men, Sir John Johnson, an 
officer of the British army during the War of 
the Revolution, at which time he commanded 
an organization of loyalists popularly known 
as "Johnson's Royal Greens," and Colonel 
Joel Stone, were the first to receive grants of 
land which covered the entire limits of the 
village, and more, as it now stands. Of these 
two, Col. Stone was the first settler, coming 
up the river from Cornwall in the summer of 
1792, taking passage in a batteau which was 
bound to Kingston. These grants of land 
were made in 1792, and the patent to Col. 
Stone was issued December 31, 1798, and 



GANANOQUE— PAST AND PRESENT. 



I8S 



covers "A certain triangular tract upon the 
River Cadanoryhqua," etc., which was located 
on the west side of the river. Sir John John- 
son's tract was located on the east side of the 
river, but his patent was not issued until May 
17, 1802. Each grant extended to the center 
of the Gananoque River, then known by its 
Indian name as above. 

Col. Stone's patent was computed to con- 
tain 700 acres of land, to which were added, 
later, two additional patents of 200 acres each, 
making in all 1,100 acres; while Col. John- 
son's grant covered 1,534 acres. At the time 
of Col. Stone's arrival, a Frenchman, named 
Carey, lived on Tidd's Island, now Fremont 
Park, with whom he formed a temporary part- 
nership, erecting a shanty on the mainland, on 
the point now occupied by a lumber yard. 
Having secured a couple of cows, their shanty 
was opened as a house of entertainment, being 
the first tavern for many miles along the Cana- 
dian shore of the St. Lawrence. During the 
absence of the proprietors one day, the hotel 
burned and the partnership ended, each of 
them entering into business for himself. Mr. 
Stone proceeded to clear a plot of land on 
what is know King street, on which he erected 
a log-house, it being, with the exception of 
the shanty above spoken of, the first house 
erected in Gananoque. His next enterprise 
was the building of a schooner of forty tons 
measurement, called the " Leeds Trader," 
which ran on the lake and river for many 
years. Then he built a saw-mill, which stood 
on the site of the present Electric Light Com- 
pany's building ; following that with a frame 
house of two stories in height, fastened with 
wrought nails brought from England. It was 
erected in 1796, and for half a century it 
was known as the "Red House," having been 
painted that color. This was built on the 
point near where the upper end of the lumber 
yard wharf is now. Where the steel and wire 
shop now is, Mr. Stone built another frame 
house, known as the " Yellow House," and 
which became his residence, after his 
marriage to Mrs. Dayton. Later, he built a 
long, low frame house with a veranda along 
its entire front, just west of the " West End 



Store," which he made his residence as long 
as he lived. The building was burned only 
thirteen years ago, and the lot where it stood 
is yet vacant. In 1852, the late John Bulger 
tore down the " Red House," and the frame 
was re-erected on Garden street. It is the 
house now occupied by Mr. James Beatty. 
The "Yellow House " was burned in 1850. 

Col. Stone was evidently a man of great 
energy, and was unceasing in his efforts to im- 
prove his holdings, keeping all the time an 
eye to the "main chance," as did his ances- 
tors, and as he himself had been trained to do 
in the school of actual business. His proce- 
dure was in direct contrast with that of Sir 




COL. STONE. 
(Kindly loaned us by Mr. Britton, editor '* Recorder.*') 

John Johnson, who paid no attention what- 
ever to his estate, only through an agent; in 
fact, it is a question whether he ever visited 
his possessions in person, so that to Col. Stone 
belongs all the honors of a first settler; and 
hence a brief biographical sketch may prove 
interesting. 

Joel Stone was born in Guilford, Connecti- 
cut, August 7, 1749. Before he was two 
years of age, his father removed to Litchfield, 
where, " by indefatigable labor and industry, 
he improved a competency of land of which 
he was proprietor. " During his minority, 
Joel labored on the " competency," but when 
he became of age, he adopted a more active 



1 86 



A SOUVENIR OF THE ST. LAWRENCE RIVER. 



mode of life, and became a travelling mer- 
chant; or, in the vernacular of those days a 
"Yankee peddler." Within three years he 
travelled over very nearly the whole of the 
then settled portions of the country, return- 
ing with a large amount of property. In 
1774, he entered into a mercantile partner- 
ship with Jabez Bacon, of Woodbury, Conn., 
their articles of copartnership binding them 
for six years as copartners in " Merchandizing 
and all things thereto belonging; and in buy- 
ing, selling, vending and retailing all sorts of 
goods, wares and commodities whatsoever." 
These articles of copartnership are yet in ex- 
istence. This partnership flourished, and the 
partners became wealthy; but the breaking 
out of the Revolutionary War ended the 
partnership and one of them assumed the 
hazards and glories of a military life. 

Mr. Stone attempted for a time to remain 
neutral and trade with both parties, though 
his sympathy was with the Royalists. But he 
was soon obliged to declare himself for one 
side or the other. To remain neutral, was to 
be suspected by both, and in 1776 he was 
peremptorily ordered by the officials of Con- 
gress to declare immediately whether he would 
take up arms against the British government, 
or furnish a substitute. He refused to do 
either ; and being warned that he would be 
called to a strict account, he fled hurriedly to 
New York, which was then held by the British 
forces, and which he reached in safety; and 
on the 20th of June, 1777, he was enrolled in 
Governor Wentworth's command, by a com- 
mission dated April 16, 1778. He recruited 
fifty-four men or more for two years' service, 
under command of Sir William Howe. He 
went on this mission to Huntington, Long 
Island, where he was surprised while asleep 
and taken prisoner. May 12, 1778, by a com- 
pany of whaleboat men, and conveyed to 
Fairfield, Connecticut. He was held in close 
custody and charged with high treason. But 
he managed to escape on the 23d of July, and 
a week later was back on Long Island. 

In the meantime, the selectmen, the con- 
stables, bailiffs, and the courts of Connecticut 
had been attending to the property left there 



by Mr. Stone when he fled to New York. By 
due process of law, as it then obtained, his 
real and personal estate was confiscated, and 
the proceeds, after deducting costs, were ren- 
dered for benefit of the State. Not only did 
the magistrates and County Court adjudicate 
in the matter and issue executions, but the 
Probate Court was also called into operation, 
as dealing with the effects of one who was de- 
scribed in the inventory as " politically dead." 
The personal property thus escheated appears 
by the returns to have amounted to ;^49 1:6:9, 
'' at the rate of twenty-eight shillings for an 
English guinea, or six shillings for a Spanish 
milled dollar." The real estate was appraised 
under oath at ^354: 13: o. One piece of 
land, in which Mr. Stone had a one-half inter- 
est, in the township of Winchester, was not 
included, for the reason, probably, that his 
pursuers had no knowledge of it. According 
to Mr. Stone's own statement, the firm of 
Bacon & Stone had a capital of ^12,000 ster- 
ling in stock; and that in addition to his share 
of that, his books, bonds and all his personal 
effects were confiscated. 

During his residence in New York, Mr. 
Stone formed an acquaintance with the family 
of William Moore, a sea captain, and on the 
23d of March, 1780, he was married to Leah 
Moore, the captain's daughter. The mar- 
riage ceremony was celebrated by Rev. Charles 
Inglis, who was then rector of Trinity church, 
New York. 

In addition to his pension, Mr. Stone, in 
common with all who had served the King in 
the Revolutionary War, was entitled to a 
grant of land. And after his arrival at Que- 
bec, he endeavored by inquiries and personal 
investigation to ascertain what would be the 
most suitable locality. 

Mr. Stone settled in Cornwall with his 
family, then consisting of his wife, his son, 
William Moore Stone, and his daughter, Mary. 
He purchased some land at Cornwall, and ex- 
pected to draw 800 or 1,000 acres besides. 
He erected a dwelling and still house, and 
otherwise endeavored to provide a permanent 
home. But he was unable to secure as much 
land as he wanted. Most of it had been pre- 



GANANOQUE — PAST AND PRESENT. 



187 



empted before he arrived, and he was, there- 
fore, compelled to come further towards the 
west in search of unclaimed territory. He went 
to Quebec and spent some time in an effort to 
secure all the land along the Gananoque River. 
But Sir John Johnson brought sufficient influ- 
ence to bear upon the government to cause a 
compromise of claims. It was decided that Sir 
John should be awarded all the land on the east 
side of the Gananoque River, and Mr. Stone 
all on the west side, the boundary of each to 
be the center of the river. Just when this 
decision was arrived at is not set down. But 
Mr. Stone took possession of his portion in 
1792, and the patent was issued six years later. 

In 1791, Col. Stone went to Connecticut 
with his two children, William and Mary, 
whom he placed at school in Hartford, having 
previously placed a son at school in Montreal. 
Leah, his wife, died at Cornwall, about 1793, 
but the exact date is not known. In 1798, 
Mr. Stone, who had then been five years a 
widower, and had established himself at 
Gananoque, decided to marry a second time, 
and made formal proposal to Mrs. Abigail 
Dayton, widow, who lived in the township of 
Burford, in Upper Canada. 

Suffice it to say, that the wooer prosecuted 
his suit with vigor, and in time, the fair ob- 
ject of his affections surrendered at discretion, 
but not in haste. They were married in the 
summer of 1799, removing to the residence of 
Col. Stone, at Gananoque. 

From that time on, the particulars of Mr. 
Stone's life are so much a part of the progress 
and growth of Gananoque as to belong more 
properly to the history of the town. He filled 
numerous offices both under the government 
and by local appointment. He was the first 
Collector of Customs; a Commissioner, or 
Justice of the Peace; Chairman of the Court 
of General Sessions of the Peace for the 
Johnstown District; Commissioner for ad- 
ministering the oath to half-pay officers; Re- 
turning Officer at County election of Member 
of Parliament in 181 2; a member of the Land 
Board, for District of Johnston, established in 
1819 for locating settlers; and Road Overseer 
for the Township of Leeds. 



By a commission dated 3d January, 1809, 
under the hand and seal of Francis Gore, 
Lieut. -Governor of Upper Canada, he was 
appointed colonel in the 2d Regiment of 
Militia for the County of Leeds, and was 
thereafter known as Colonel Stone. This 
office he resigned in January, 1822. 

Three children were born to Mr. Stone 
during the life of his first wife. His eldest 
son William, who is referred to as " Billy " in 
Mr. Stone's letters, grew to maturity at 
Gananoque, assisting in the general affairs of 
his father, and for a time holding the position 
of Deputy Collector of Customs. He died in 
1809, aged twenty-eight years. 

In the fall of 1833, the Colonel caught a 
severe cold, and died on the 20th November, 
in the eighty-fifth year of his age. Mrs. Stone 
survived him by nearly ten years, and died 
August 4, 1843, in her ninety-third year. 

The events of his settlement in Gananoque 
have already been alluded to, but we will add 
one brief letter, which sets forth the energy 
and thrift of Col. Stone, better by far than 
any description could: 

Montreal, i6th July, 1801. 

My Dear: — I received your letter dated the next 
day after I left home, 7th June, about three days 
past by mere accident. I mark well the contents 
thereof, approve of what you have done, and must 
with pleasure submit to your own wisdom to do as 
you think best until I can get home, which I do not 
intend shall be long, but I have not j'et been able to 
deliver any of my boards and plank. Andrew, 
William and David will sett off to-morrow morning 
with the boat loaded with the following packages 
and articles agreeable to the enclosed bills: One 
large cask wine, two trunks, one small trunk, the 
box or chest, two barrells, two kegs (one best Made- 
ira wine, one cider vinegar), one cask nails, two 
small bales, one shovel, one spade. Enclosed I 
send you four keys, one to each of the trunks, and 
one to the chest. Please to be careful in unpacking 
the pork barrel. It has a bottle of castor oil and a 
phial of pickery roped up in the blankets. 

In the barrels, and in your chest, you will find a 
number of articles we had on board the raft, two or 
three axes, &c., and you will find tobacco and snufF 
(viz.), 2 lbs. snuff only; also Bohea tea in one of the 
casks, and Hyson tea in one of the large trunks. 
The Bohea tea is 6s. per lb. in case you sell any, and 
the tobacco 3s. Please to put the tobacco in some 
moist place. 



i88 



A SOUVENIR OF THE ST. LAWRENCE RIVER. 



The other articles I have marked the price to sell 
at in the bills in my own hand writing. I need not 
caution you to sell for cash only, except where we 
owe and to pay for what we must buy. The large 
cask of wine may be very good to drink as wine and 
water, and you may sell it at 5s per gallon if you can, 
but I bought it with a view of making vinegar only. 
I gave IS per gallon for it. The articles in the large 
trunk where the Hyson tea is are not marked, nor is 
the bill sent. You will find Turlington's drops in 
the trunk where the Hyson tea is, which you may 
sell at 5s per bottle, but those in the pork barrel, 
large phials keep for your own use. You will set 
the people at work as you find most necessary until 
I get home. I must, if possible, bring down another 
raft this season. Old Mr. Chaple will be up again 
as soon as he has done visiting his friends. 

I am my dear in great haste, with a very bad pen 
and ink and ray best exertions. 

Your most affectionate, 

Joel Stone. 

For much of the matter relating to Col. 
Stone, we are indebted to Freeman Britton, 
Esq., editor of the " Gananoque Reporter." 

So far as the improvement of his water- 
power was concerned. Col. Stone did but little 
towards it, leasing it finally to his son-in-law, 
Charles McDonald, who, in 181 2, began to 
carry on an extensive business. He built a 
saw-mill, and a small grist-mill, and engaged 
largely in the lumber trade, shipping large 
quantities to Quebec, and also supplying the 
government with ship timber, several war 
vessels being on the stocks at Kingston, at 
that time. In 18 17, Chas. McDonald was 
joined by his brother John, and later by an- 
other brother Collin; and in 1826, the firm of 
"C. & J. McDonald and Brother" erected 
the largest flouring mill in the Province. To 
supply this mill, grain was brought in schoon- 
ers from the West; and owing to its capacity 
of 250 barrels per day, was for many years 
enabled to supply one-quarter of all the flour 
received at Montreal. The flour was sent 
down in batteaux and Durham boats, a bat- 
teau load being from '150 to 200 barrels, 
while a Durham boat carried 450 barrels. 
The forwarding business at that time was in 
the hands of H. & S. Jones. The block 
houses built at Gananoque, and on Chimney 
Island, were built for the government by 
Charles McDonald. 



The first store in Gananoque was opened in 
1812 by Chas. McDonald, and the McDonalds 
also built the first church in the place. It 
was free for all denominations, and was erected 
in 1832. Some four or five years later, the 
Methodists erected a small wooden building 
on the site of the present church. This de- 
nomination furnished the first regular services 
in the village. The first resident minister was 
Rev. William Carson. Among the first settlers 
of the village was Ephraim Webster, who was 
afterward collector of customs at Brockville. 
In 1 83 1, the steamer William IV was built at 
Gananoque by a joint stock company. This 
was the steamer that the noted Bill Johnston 
and his followers attempted to capture during 
the so-called Patriot war, by stretching a 
chain across a narrow channel between two 
islands. The attempt failed, but was suc- 
cessful as to the Sir Robert Peel, related else- 
where. 

The writer's acknowledgments are due to 
his honor the mayor and several aldermen for 
many favors in the way of information af- 
forded, but especially to the Hon. C. E. Brit- 
ton, whose interest in the welfare o-f his town 
is strong and abiding. 

In concluding this brief sketch of the early 
history of Gananoque, the writer desires to 
add, that steps are now being taken to build 
an electric railway from that village to the 
city of Kingston. In fact there is at this 
writing a bill before Parliament asking for an 
act of incorporation, which will no doubt be 
granted. Its situation, its water power, its 
commercial opportunities, its manufacturing 
privileges, entitle Gananoque to a population 
of fully 15,000 souls; and this it cannot fail to 
realize, unless its leading citizens, by injudi- 
cious acts, shall retard the onward march of 
improvement, and paralyze progress. A great 
number of lakes in its rear not only guarantee 
the perpetuity of its water power, but make 
the village the gateway to the finest fishing 
and hunting grounds in America. That Gan- 
anoque is destined to become one of the 
thriving cities of the St. Lawrence region 
admits of but slight doubt. 



BROCKVILLE, 



THE GATE-CITY TO THE THOUSAND ISLANDS. 



^^1 UST at the foot of the Thousand Islands, 
^^ir 126 miles west of Montreal, and fifty 
miles east of Kingston, stands the beautiful 
town of Brockville. Its history is one of inter- 
est, as being one of the oldest towns in 
Ontario, and as one which has not stood still, 
but has made a steady progress, a solid sub- 
stantial growth, in step and cadence with 
modern improvement. The modern " booms," 
with their consequent reaction, have never been 
inflicted upon Brockville, and in consequence 
it has felt none of the enervating influences 
sequent upon periods of undue inflation. 

In 1784, one hundred and eleven years ago, 
Adam Cole, having left the United States, and 
being still desirous of remaining under the 
protection of the British flag, to which he 
deemed his allegiance due, sailed up the St. 
Lawrence, and landed on the site of the pres- 
ent city of Brockville; but from the fact that 
to him the land seemed rough and uninviting, 
he pushed on to a point six miles above, and 
finally settled at what is now known as Cole's 
Ferry. In the following year, another enthu- 
siastic U. E. Loyalist, William Buell, located 
on the lot where a large part of the western 
portion of the city now stands. Shortly after- 
ward, Charles Jones, following in the footsteps 
of his predecessor, took up the adjoining lot 
on the east. These first settlers were of 
course subjected to all the inconveniences in- 
cident to pioneer life; but in a short time the 
little settlement became a distributing point 
for government stores, which were supplied 
to settlers in the shape of provisions and im- 
plements, and quite soon it sprang into some 
prominence, and began to grow. 



The surrounding township was named 
Elizabethtown, and for a number of years the 
village was known by that name, and also by 
the name of Buell's Bay. Finally, the resi- 
dents began to favor a more dignified title, 
and then no little difference of opinion arose 
concerning the name of the place, which, as 
is almost always the case, resulted in a pa- 
tronymic bestowed by outsiders, which was 
far more expressive as to fact, than conducive 
to dignity. Mr. Buell and his friends were 
extremely desirous of naming it " Williams- 
town," in honor of William Buell, the first 
settler. On the other hand, Mr. Jones and 
his adherents, insisted that " Charlestown " 
should be the name, after Mr. Charles Jones; 
and between the factions such a strife was 
engendered, and so bitter was this miniature 
war of the rival roses, that the outlying resi- 
dents becoming disgusted with the endless 
bickerings, incontinently bestowed the nick- 
name of " Snarleytown " upon the place, which 
adhered to it for a long time. 

In 181 1, however, a new system of grand 
tactics was introduced into the local war, and 
Mr. Buell demonstrated his ability as a tac- 
tician by having his property surveyed and 
laid out into town lots, setting aside grounds 
for a public square, court-house, etc., of which 
he had a map published on which was duly 
set forth desirable properties for sale, thus in- 
augurating for that day and age a veritable 
approach to the modern "boom," or, at all 
events, as near to one as Brockville has ever 
experienced. Desirous of becoming a large 
landed proprietor, Mr. Jones was averse to 
disposing of his property in like manner, and 



190 



A SOUVENIR OF THE ST. LAWRENCE RIVER. 



therefore practically acknowledged that he 
was out-generaled, but he was by no means 
defeated. The factions grew and multiplied 
in numbers, and the feud in intensity, for a 
decade, until it seemed a foregone conclusion 
that " Snarleytown " was likely to become 
the permanent designation of the locality. 
Finally, in 182 1, Governor-General Sir Isaac 
Brock, being in the place, the dispute was re- 
ferred to him, and he immediately settled the 
difficulty by bestowing his own name upon 
the place. It was a happy thought, and like 



schooner Julia, and two British vessels, the 
Earl of Moira and the Duke of Gloucester, 
had an engagement opposite the town, which 
lasted for three hours, ceasing by mutual con- 
sent when darkness came on, neither party 
having suffered any material damages ; — an 
emphatic and significant comment upon the 
skill of both parties in the use of artillery. On 
the night of the 6th of February, 1813, Capt. 
Forsyth, of the Rifles, then commandant at 
Ogdensburg, marched up the river to Morris- 
town, and, crossing on the ice, took posses- 




LOOKING EAST FROM ARCADE, WATERTOWN, N. Y., SHOWING SNOW OF WINTER IS94-95. 



pouring oil upon troubled waters, it calmed 
the storm by satisfying the contending fac- 
tions, who merged their differences into 
" Brockville," a name ever since retained, and 
one to be proud of. As an old resident of 
the city remarked to the writer: "It was a 
shrewd exemplification of the fable of the 
monkey, the cats and the cheese — but it 
worked well and satisfied all parties." 

During the war of 1812-15, Brockville was 
often the scene of lively operations. On the 
29th of July, 1812, the United States armed 



sion of the town, capturing several of its 
prominent citizens, and releasing several pris- 
oners from the jail, most of whom were Ameri- 
cans who had been taken prisoners and con- 
fined there. It is related that Capt. Forsyth 
refused to release a prisoner who was incar- 
cerated on a charge of murder; but in his de- 
fense his counsel sought to win a point in his 
favor by establishing the fact that, while he 
might have escaped, he would not, thus creat- 
ing a strong inference of his innocence. He 
was, nevertheless, convicted and hanged. 



THE BROCK VTLLE OF TO-DAY. 



191 



Fifty-two prisoners, with a large amount of 
stores and ammunition, was the result of the 
capture of Brockville, and an equal number of 
American prisoners was the result of a re- 
prisal which immediately followed, in which 
Capt. Forsyth was badly beaten at Ogdensburg 
by the Canadian volunteers under Capt. Mc- 
Donnell, who, in addition to the prisoners, cap- 
tured a large amount of military stores, several 
pieces of artillery, some small arras, besides 
destroying the barracks. The Americans lost 
twenty-three in killed and wounded, and were 



toward the dignity and importance of a city. 
The old methods of navigation on the St. 
Lawrence, batteaux and Durham boats, have 
given way to elegant steamers, which have re- 
duced the time from Montreal from weeks to 
hours. Railways have replaced the uncertain 
stage coach, and now few towns are more 
favorably situated than is Brockville, as regards 
connections both by water and by rail. The 
main line of the Grand Trunk Railway runs 
through the town, and has been an important 
factor in its development. Direct communi- 




THE SNOW IN STREETS OF WATERTOWN, WINTER OF 1894-95. 



forced to retreat to Black Lake. Since the 
senseless and uncalled for disturbance of 1837, 
which culminated in the surrender of the rebels 
at the Windmill, and the ripple caused by the 
Fenian Raid, Brockville has enjoyed uninter- 
rupted peace, and has steadily thriven, pursu- 
ing the even tenor of its way, until now we 
have 

The Brockville of To-Day. 

With a population of very nearly, if not 
quite 10,000, Brockville is fairly on the road 



cation with Ottawa, the capital of the Do- 
minion, only seventy-four miles distant, is af- 
forded by the Canadian Pacific Railway, 
which absorbed into its gigantic system the 
old Brockville and Ottawa Railway. Already 
the Brockville, Westport and Sault St. Marie 
Railway has been completed to Westport, and 
in addition to making a large section of coun- 
try tributary to Brockville, when completed 
to the " Soo," and connecting there with the 
American railways, this will become one or 
the great trunk lines, connecting the Atlantic 



192 



A SOUVENIR OF THE ST. LAWRENCE RIVER. 



seaboard with the Great West. Besides, there 
is now projected an electric railway to run 
between Brockville and Ottawa, which will 
open the Rideau country, and be of great 
benefit to that entire section. By steam-ferry 
to Morristown, connection is had with the 
Rome, Watertown and Ogdensburg Railway, 
which forms a part of the great Central sys- 
tem of New York ; the largest on the Ameri- 
can continent — and now it is proposed to 
build a bridge across the St. Lawrence at this 
point, to connect the Canadian and American 
systems, the preliminary steps to which have 
already been taken, charters secured in both 
countries, and it is confidently expected that 
active steps in the way of construction will be 
taken within a few months at the farthest. 

During the season of navigation, the steamer 
service is excellent. The steamers of the 
Richelieu and Ontario Navigation Company 
call daily on their trips between Toronto and 
Montreal and various American ports among 
the Thousand Islands. Besides these, the 
Ocean, Alexandria, Cuba, etc., do a large 
freight and passenger business, so that water 
facilities are of the best quality, and readily 
available at the minimum of delay. The 
steamer service to the Thousand Islands has 
of late years been supplied by the John Hag- 
gart, a commodious vessel, well adapted to the 
purpose. 

As a summer resort, Brockville offers ex- 
ceptional advantages. The great American 
resorts among the islands are within easy 
reach, being only from twenty-five to thirty 
miles away, and easily reached by any one of 
the daily line of steamers which ply during 
the watering season. Besides these, the Em- 
pire State, America and St. Lawrence, all 
splendid steamers, make almost daily excur- 
sions. These steamers belong to the Thou- 
sand Island Steamboat Company line, a com- 
pany that is sparing no pains nor expense to 
furnish a river service on the St. Lawrence 
which cannot be excelled. During the past 
decade some elegant resorts have sprung 
up on the Canadian side of the river; among 
which are Fernbank, Hill Crest, and Union 
Park, while between these nearly every fa- 



vored spot is taken up, and every year sees 
new and beautiful summer homes spring into 
view. Residents of New York, Ottawa and 
Montreal, recognizing the beauties of these 
locations, have already erected fine summer 
residences, or are prepared to do so in the 
near future. 

Between Brockville and Union Park, seven 
miles above, a steamer makes four round trips 
daily, so that business men can attend to their 
duties during the day, returning to their cot- 
tage homes in the evening. In addition toils 
river attractions, Brockville has some beauti- 
ful drives, prominent among which, for beauty 
and picturesqueness, is the drive to Fernbank 
Park and the village of Lynn, five miles away. 
The best known and patronized, however, is 
that to Prescott, a distance of twelve miles 
along the bank of the river. Brockville is 
supplied with water through the celebrated 
" Holly " system, and it has an excellent sys- 
tem of sewerage, so that as a place of excel- 
lent sanitation it is unexcelled. The streets 
are well lighted with both gas and electricity, 
or rather a combination of the two. They 
intersect at right angles, and for the most part 
are beautifully shaded, so that one might aptly 
name Brockville the " Forest City," and not 
go far astray. 

In religious and educational matters, Brock- 
ville stands deservedly high. Some of the 
church edifices are magnificent and costly tri- 
umphs of architectural skill. There are three 
congregations of the Church of England, two 
Presbyterian, two Methodist, one Baptist, and 
one Roman Catholic, besides some smaller 
sects. Their pastors are men of marked 
ability. The schools of Brockville are of a 
high order. The public schools consist of 
a central High school, known as the Victoria 
School, and four Ward Schools. The Separate 
School is a large and commodious structure, 
provided with all the modern appliances. The 
Convent de Notre Dame is a superior ladies' 
school. There is also an excellent Kin- 
dergarten in successful operation, together 
with some first-class private schools. The 
Collegiate Institute is one of the best higher 
educational institutions in the Province. Stu- 



BROCK VJLLE lA'SANE ASYLUM. 



193 



dents are here prepared for matriculation in 
the various colleges, and for entering upon 
any of the professions. Brockville has also a 
Business College equal to any in the country 
in its methods and in the thoroughness of us 
work. Last, but by no means least among the 
educational institutions of the town, is the 
Art School. This has attained a provincial 
reputation from the excellence of the work 
exhibited by its pupils in competition with 
other Art schools in Ontario. The Mechanics' 
Institute, with its library of many thousand 
volumes, its ample and well-supplied reading- 
room, filled with all the current reading matter 
of the day, is surely an educator whose influ- 
ence upon the masses can hardly be over- 
estimated. In this respect, Brockville is but 
another demonstration of the well-known 
fact that, given a good, well-selected library, 
and a reading-room abundantly supplied with 
the literature of the day, a community will 
stand infinitely higher, morally and intel- 
lectually, than will one deprived of those 
privileges. Brockville has two excellent 
newspapers, the Times and Recorder, both of 
which are live sheets and fully up to date, not 
only as regards the news in general, but also 
fully alive to the interests of their town. 
There are many enterprising manufacturing 
firms, but lack of space prevents the insertion 
of a list. 

For the care of the sick and afflicted, Brock- 
ville has two excellent hospitals, the Brockville 
General Hospital and the St. Vincent de Paul 
Hospital, both being fully equipped and well 
managed. The crowriing institution, however, 
is the newly erected ' 

Brockville Insane Asylum. 

This is an elegant structure, standing on a 
commanding site on what was known as the 
Pickens Point property, at the left of the Pres- 
cott road. From it, the view across and down 
the St. Lawrence is magnificent. The premises 
contain 207 acres. The main building stands 
about 350 yards north of the Prescott road. 
It is built in the form of a cross, being three 
stories high in the center and two stories in 
the wings, having a frontage of 400 feet. The 



front of the central part is surmounted by a 
tower 128 feet in height. The central part of 
the main building projects to the rear 200 feet. 
There are ample basements, storage rooms, 
coal vaults, laundries, sewing rooms, offices, 
dining rooms, kitchens, patients' rooms, bath 
rooms, linen rooms, with ample accommodations 
in the main building for 240 patients. In 
short, the building is provided with every ap- 
pliance thai science, skill and experience could 
suggest as being beneficial in an institution of 
the kind. Six cottages, each forty by sixty 
feet, two stories high, with all the appliances 
to accommodate sixty patients each, are also a 
part of this institution. Although interesting, 
space forbids an extended description of this 
fine public institution, so likely to prove one 
of the attractions of Brockville. 

The Canadian shore of the St. Lawrence 
river, it will be noticed, is, in the main, bluff 
and rocky, and in many places exceedingly 
precipitous, with here and there occasional 
breaks, where the land slopes gently to the 
water's edge. It is in one of these breaks that 
Brockville is situated, with high bluffs above 
and below and high ground to the rear. From 
the river the place presents a very fine ap- 
pearance. The bluff at the east end of the 
town rises to a height of fully fifty feet, and is 
commonly known as " High Rocks," which, 
with its overhanging shelves, clinging vines 
and wild honeysuckles draped over the en- 
trances many small caves, presents a charm- 
ing bit of scenery to the eye of the river tour- 
ist, but which is scarcely appreciated by the 
citizens themselves. This beautiful spot is the 
home of a legend or tale which may be too 
true in fact, to relegate to the regions of 
romance or legend. Be that as it may, it is 
here "set down," the reader to be the judge. 

The Legend of the Cliff. 

At a point where the face of the cliff is 
comparatively smooth, may be seen traces of 
a painting which is now nearly obliterated, 
but which, until within a few years past, was 
visited every spring by a band of Indians, 
who, with weired ceremonies and incantations, 
brightened the picture with fresh paint and 



194 



A SOUVENIR OF THE ST. LAWRENCE RIVER. 



departed. The picture was a rough repre- 
sentation of a canoe, propelled by several 
Indians, out of which two white men were 
falling. The legend relates that in the early- 
days of the French occupation of Canada by 
Count Frontenac, there was a continual 
struggle between the New France and the 
New England, as to which should secure the 
alliance of the Indian tribes; and although 
nominally France and England were at peace, 
there is no doubt that English officers sta- 
tioned in the colonies, did all in their power 
to forward this much-to-be-desired consumma- 
tion. The French had succeeded in securing 
the alliance of the Algonquins and Hurons, 
but the great confederacy of the Iroquois held 
aloof from any entangling alliances, the more, 
it is presumed, because they were deadly foes 
to both Hurons and Algonquins, the former 
of which were settled around lakes Huron 
and Superior, while the Algonquins were the 
tribes of the east. The Hurons, to reach the 
great fur markets of Montreal and Quebec, 
WL-re obliged to pass through the country of 
the Iroquois, which that confederacy promptly 
opposed, and so great was the terror inspired 
by the Iroquois, that Count Frontenac, then 
Governor of the New France, decided to pro- 
tect his allies, and administer such a rebuke 
to their foes that they would long remember 
it. The Count's expedition, however, was not 
an unqualified success; and though he brought 
off many prisoners, he returned with his army 
badly crippled, a fact of which the Iroquois 
were well aware. 

At all events, among the prisoners cap- 
tured by the French were a couple of English 
officers, who belonged, so history informs us, 
to the garrison at Oswego; for up to this 
point, dear reader, our relation is but a verita- 
ble historical fact, or facts, if you so choose. 
These officers were placed in care of a party of 
Indians, who were to take them to Montreal. 



Embarking in a canoe, they proceeded down 
the St. Lawrence, and, when at a point just 
above Brockville, they were struck by a terri- 
ble storm, and being heavily loaded they tossed 
the British officers overboard, not only to 
lighten the canoe, but to appease the storm- 
god by a human sacrifice. But the storm-god 
was not appeased. The gale increased in 
intensity, and the storm king howled and 
shrieked in the ears of the now dismayed In- 
dians, who began to regard their actions in 
throwing the two men overboard as cowardly. 
They felt that the Great Spirit would punish 
them for the act, and so the wail of their death 
songs, mingled with the shrieks of the tem- 
pest, and when opposite the High Rocks the 
canoe went down with all its human freight, 
among whom was a distinguished chief The 
judgment was well deserved. Of course, those 
savages did not intend to release their pris- 
oners, but just to torture them at the stake. 
Had they not been so cowardly as to throw 
them overboard to drown, how much pleasure 
they might have afforded the whole tribe, and 
what horrible tortures, so dear to the savage 
heart, they might have subjected them to. 
But they drowned their prisoners instead, and 
were themselves drowned. Served them right. 
For more than a hundred years a band of 
Indians has repainted the picture each spring, 
at the same time performing incantations to 
the Great Spirit, whose anger, because they 
drowned the officers instead of burning them 
at the stake, must be appeased. As it has 
now been several years since the picture has 
been renewed, let us hope that the Indian 
deity is satisfied. 

For much information concerning Brock- 
ville, the writer is indebted to Mr. R. Laid- 
LAW, of the Brockville Times, and to Mr. 
Geo. p. Graham, of the Recorder, genial gen- 
tlemen both, and fully alive to the interests of 
their town. 



J^ J^ 



THE ORIGIN OF PRINTING ON THE SHORES OF THE ST. LA WRENCE. 195 



THE SPORTSMAN'S SONG. 



BY MAURICE THOMPSON. 



Ho ! for the marshes, green with Spring, 

Where the bitterns croak and the plovers pipe, 
Where the gaunt old heron spreads his wing 

Above the haunt of the rail and snipe; 
For my gun is clean and my rod's in trim, 

And the old, wild longing is roused in me; 
Ho ! for the bass pools cool and dim — 

Ho ! for the swales of the Kankakee! 



A hut by the river, a light canoe. 

My rod and my gun, and a sennight fair — 

A wind from the south and the wild fowl due- 
Be mine! All's well! Comes never a care'; 

A strain of the savage fires my blood, 
And the zest of freedom is keen in me; 

Ho! for the marsh and the lilied flood! 
Ho! for the tarns of the Kankakee! 



Is there other joy like the joy of man 

Free for a season with rod and gun, 
With the sun to tan and the winds to fan, 

And the waters to lull, and never a one 
Of the cares of life to follow him, 

Or to shadow his mind while he wanders free ? 
Ho! for the currents slow and dim! 

Ho! for the fens of the Kankakee! 



Give me to stand where the swift currents rush. 

With my rod all astrain and a bass coming in. 
Or give me the marsh, with the brown snipe aflush. 

And my gun's sudden flashes and resonant din; 
For I'm tired of the desk and tired of the town, 

And I long to be out, and I long to be free. 
Ho! for the marsh with the birds whirling down! 

Ho! for the pools of the Kankakee! 



THE ORIGIN OF PRINTING ON THE SHORES OF THE ST. LAWRENCE. 

BY J. L. HUBERT NEILSON, M. D., R. C. A., DEPUTY SURGEON-GENERAL. 



IN the year 1749 a learned Swede, Peter 
Kalm, professor in a Swedish University, 
a disciple of the great Linnaeus, visited the 
United States and Canada. He informs us, 
in the interesting volumes of travel which he 
subsequently published, that there was then 
no printing press in Canada. He was told, 
though, that at one time there had been one. 
This bit of information appears, however, to 
have been not in accord with fact. Kalm 
adds: "All books are brought from France, 
and all the orders made in the country are 
written, which extends even to the paper cur- 
rency. They pretend that the press is not yet 
introduced here, lest it should be the means 
of propagating libels against the government 
and religion. But the true reason seems to 



be in the poorness of the country, as no 
printer could put off a sufficient number of 
books for his subsistence; and another reason 
may be that France may have the profit aris- 
ing from the exportation of books hither." 

Whatever the cause may have been, and all 
seems to indicate that reasons of state policy 
were the true cause, a public press was an 
absolutely unknown quantity in Canada from 
the foundation of Quebec, in 1609, until after 
the conquest by the British arms and final 
cession in 1763. It had been very different 
over the border in the New England provin- 
ces. Within twenty years of the landing of 
the Pilgrim Fathers a press had been estab- 
lished at Cambridge in 1638, by Steven Daye. 
At first, and for many years, small works of a 



196 



A SOUVENIR OF THE ST. LAWRENCE RIVER. 



Godly character were its only output. Gradu- 
ally matters of a more worldly nature were 
served by it. But it was not until 1704 that 
such a secular object as a newspaper made its 
appearance, and met with sufficient public 
support and appreciation. It is believed that 
as early as 1545 a printing press was operated 
in the city of Mexico. 

Well, in the year 1763 — it being made 
known to the world that Canada was to be 
irrevocably attached to the British Crown — 
it occurred to one William Brown, a young 
printer in Philadelphia, that Canada might 
be a new field worth trying. Canada was 
still under military rule. After a short cor- 
respondence with the then Governor General, 
James Murray, for the double purpose of 
making surj that his scheme would not only 
be permitted but favored by the authorities, 
he did not hesitate to put his small savings 
into the venture. 

William Brown, like so many other leaders 
among men, pioneers and benefactors of their 
race, was a native of Scotland. He was born 
in Kirkcudbrightshire, province of Galloway, 
in 1737. His father, John Brown, was laird 
of Nunton, in the parish of Twynholm, and of 
Langlands, in Borgue. William, being a 
younger son, was sent to paternal relatives in 
Virginia, to make his fortune as best he could. 
In : 85 1-2-3 we find him studying the classics 
and mathematics at William and Mary Col- 
lege, in Williamsburgh. The year following 
he had entered a counting house as clerk, but 
soon there came the seven-years' war; the de- 
feat of Braddock at Monongahela was fol- 
lowed by commercial dislocation and a finan- 
cial crash which brought an end to Brown's 
incipient career as a bank clerk. 

Unemployed, stranded, and with but slen- 
der means in hand, young Brown bethought 
himself of a trade, which possessed greater 
elements of stability than banking in those 
tempestuous times. The printing business, 
moreover, seemed to him congenial. He ac- 
cordingly directed his steps towards Philadel- 
phia, with a view of there acquiring the art of 
printing. He first served as apprentice in the 
celebrated establishment of William Bradford, 



which then existed at the corner of Black 
Horse alley. It is traditional, however, that 
he finished his time with Franklin & Hall, 
then publishers of the Pennsylvania Gazette, j 

In 1758 he had transferred his services to \ 
William Dunlap,a printer who was also largely 
interested in bookselling. Dunlap had mar- 
ried a relative of Benjamin Franklin's wife, 
and through this family connection had re- 
cently been appointed postmaster of Philadel- 
phia. In 1760 he was for a short time partner 
to James Rivington in the book-selling busi- 
ness in New York. Their book store was at 
the lower end of Wall street. Brown soon with- 
drew, returned to Philadelphia, and together 
with a nephew, John Dunlap, became busi- 
ness managers of the elder Dunlap's con- 
cern. In that capacity we find him next 
residing for two years in Bridgetown, Bar- 
badoes, winding up a bookselling and print- 
ing enterprise which Dunlap had there. It 
was on his return from Barbadoes, in 1763, 
that he formed the project of trying his for- 
tune in Canada. He selected as partner one 
Thomas Gilmore, a native of the north of 
Ireland, a relative of Dunlap's, who generously 
bolstered up the venture of his two young 
friends to the extent of ^^450. 

On the 6th of August he left Philadelphia 
for Boston. He informs us, in his " diary," 
that he met with disappointment in not find- 
ing there a vessel bound for Quebec. He 
had no choice left but to purchase a horse 
and make his way as best he could towards 
Quebec, via Albany, Lake Champlain, Mon- 
treal and down the St. Lawrence to Quebec. 
Brown's diary is replete with details of this 
journey, now of great interest, but space pro- 
hibits quotations. While Brown was proceed- 
ing overland, Gilmore was sent to London to 
purchase the press, type and paper for the 
new Quebec printing office, the whole to be 
brought out by the first vessel the following 
spring. 

Brown, after adventures which would be 
well worth repeating, finally reached Quebec 
on the 30th of September, 1763. The ensu- 
ing autumn and winter months he devoted to 
perfecting himself in the knowledge of French, 



THE ORIGIN OF PRINTING ON THE SHORES OF THE ST. LA WRENCE. 197 



canvassing for subscribers, distributing his 
prospectus, and making things ready for the 
installation of the press. He had secured a 
small house " in Parlour street, in the Upper 
Town, a little above the Bishop's Palace." 
Gilmore arrived early in June, with a brand- 
new hand press and excellent type, which he 
had secured from Kenrick Peck, of London. 
He was also provided with a sufficient supply 
of paper, ink and other necessaries. On the 
2ist of June, 1764, the first number of the 
Quebec Gazette was offered to the public. 

It will thus be seen that to these citizens of 
old Philadelphia is due the honor and glory 
of having planted the first press in its sister 
colony on the shores of the St. Lawrence, in 
the now vast and prosperous Dominion of 
Canada. A word of the worthy William Dun- 
lap, P'ranklin's relative, who was in a way the 
sponsor and financial backer of Brown and 
Gilmore's venture, may not be out of place. 
By trade he had been a job printer, bookseller 
and paper manufacturer, and, in 1758, suc- 
cessor to William Franklin as postmaster of 
Philadelphia. Dunlap had also a printing 
and bookselling establishment in Barbadoes. 
He was also interested in the Barbadoes Mer- 
cury. His agent there was George Esmond, 
who so neglected his patron's interest that, in 
1765, Dunlap had to go there himself, and 
there he spent two years in vain attempts to 
obtain a settlement of his affairs. While in 
Bridgetown, although advanced in years, he 
decided to devote himself to the ministry of 
the Church of England, commenced his theo- 
logical studies, and, in 1767, went to London 
to be ordained. He then returned to Phila- 
delphia, his wife having, meanwhile, become 
insane. John Dunlap, his nephew, took charge 
of the interests which he still retained in the 
Philadelphia printing and bookselling estab- 
lishment. This firm continued tg furnish sup- 
plies of printing paper, stationery, etc., to 
Brown and Gilmore in Quebec until the out- 
break of the Revolutionary war. These goods 
were usually forwarded to them by sailing 
vessels via the Gulf of the St. Lawrence. 
But they looked for more than inert supplies 
from Philadelphia. I quote from a long half- 



business, half-affectionate letter written by 
Brown to the Rev. William Dunlap, on April 
29, 1768: 

"* * * Having been long embarrassed with Cana- 
dian Boysas menial servants about the Prmting Office, 
who will not engage for any considerable time and 
as soon as they find themselves useful augment their 
wages and become intolerably insolent, we are at l.ist 
come to a Resolution of trying to get a Negro Boy, 
wherefore we beg you will ende.ivour to purchase 
one torus, between 15 and 20 years of age fit to put to 
Press, who has had the Small Pox, is country born 
and can be recommended for his Honesty; we would 
not begrudge a pretty good Price for such a likely 
Negro: or if you should be inclined to part with your 
Boy Priamus we would be glad to have him and 
would be glad to give what would be judged a 
reasonable price for him. We pray you may try and 
procure us one so that he may reach us here in the 
(all; and as soon as 3'ou shall be certain of him or 
determined to part with your own we beg you may 
loose no Time in acquainting us of the Price, which 
we will immediately remit to you on a Bill on York 
(sic) as we shall keep the cash ready till we hear 
from you. Should it be too late for an opportunity 
from Philadulphia there has always been vessels 
from York in Auitust and Sepbr, and we doubt not 
that there will be this Year. * * *" In a P. S he 
adds: " If you are so lucky as to get us a Negro, 
before you embark him we beg he may be insured.'" 

William Dunlap evidently took the most 
kindly, even fatherly, interest in his two pro- 
teges in Quebec, judging from the many letters 
he wrote them, several of which are in my 
possession. A son named Tomy appears to 
have been at this period with the printers in 
Quebec, for he more than once refers to him. 
He always subscribed himself, " I am, dear 
gentlemen. Your affectionate W. Dunlap." 
His confidence in them was not misplaced, 
for that very year they repaid hitn in full his 
advance of ;^4So, with interest at six per cent. 
There being none or few regular banks in 
existence in the North American provinces, 
remitting money was both a difficult and costly 
matter. Opportunities of purchasing a bill 
of exchange on a good, solvent firm or indi- 
vidual were few and far between. About this 
time, 1768, W. Dunlap severed his connection 
with business to become rector of the parish 
of Stratton in King and Queen's county, Vir- 
ginia, where, I presume, he ended his varied 
earthly career. 



198 



A SOUVENIR OF THE ST. LAWRENCE RIVER. 



Brown & Gilmore had calculated on a 
subscription list of at least 150; when the first 
number appeared, only no had given in their 
names. General Murray subscribed for ten 
copies and two other officials five each. 
Among these no names not more than a 
dozen French names can be found, most of 
these were priests. The paper was printed on 
a folio sheet, with four double-column pages, 
one column being English, the opposite one a 
translation into French. A cut of the Royal 
Arms headed the paper, to one side of which 
was the title, " The Quebec Gazette," while on 
the other was the French title, " La Gazette de 
Quebec." At the foot of the fourth page was 
the colophone, " Quebec, printed by Brown & 
Gilmore, at the printing office in Parlour 
street, in the Upper Town, a little above the 
Bishop's palace, where subscriptions for this 
paper are taken in; advertisements of a mode- 
rate length (in one language) inserted for five 
shillings Halifax, the first week and one shil- 
ling each week after; if in both languages 
seven shillings and six pence Halifax, the 
first week and half a dollar each week after ; 
and all kinds of printing done in the neatest 
manner, with care and expedition." Tt ap- 
peared once a week, on Thursdays. 

The two first pages contained foreign Euro- 
pean news, seldom less than six weeks or two 
months old; occasional items relating to the 
neighboring Provinces and extracts from their 
newspapers ; then followed scanty allusions 
to matters of local interest ; the third and 
fourth pages were filled with official proc- 
lamations, government and private advertise- 
ments, many of which convey curious and 
important information. Brown appears to 
have been the business head — editor and 
manager — of the concern; he and Gilmore 
had evidently been trained at an excellent 
school ; witness the correctness and neatness 
of their work. Brown was the essence of 
regularity and precision in all his work; his 
diary, his letters, his office books, dating from 
his arrival in Canada until his death, detailing 
every business transactions of the printing 
office and every item of his own personal ex- 
penses from 1763 to 1789, are written most 



carefully in rounded hand; they are all pre- 
served among the collections of the writer of 
this sketch. 

Broadsides, pamphlets and small volumes 
soon followed the appearance of the " Quebec 
Gazette;" the first was the "Presentment" 
of the first Canadian grand jury, a small 
quarto of forty-two pages, an important and 
unique document; but one copy is known to 
exist, and that is to be found in the writer's 
collection. The second volume was " Le Cate- 
chisme du Diocese de Sens in 1765;" a unique 
copy is in the possession of the Honorable 
Judge Baby of Montreal. 

A curious and now excessively rare book, 
printed by Brown & Gilmore in 1767, is the 
" Nehiro-Irinui," a small 8vo. of 96 pages, 
printed with great neatness and fine type, but 
entirely in the Montagnais language. It is a 
prayer book, catechism, etc., composed for 
the Indians of the Saguenay Valley by their 
celebrated and saintly missionary, Father La 
Brosse, a Jesuit, whose life-work and death 
are the subject of more than one legend, re- 
peated with reverence to this day among the 
Indians and peasants of the lower St. Law- 
rence. Miss Machar of Kingston and Gan- 
anoque, familiar to many readers under the 
" nom de plume " Fidelis, has recently rend- 
ered one of these La Brosse legends in charm- 
ing verse. J. C. Pilling in his " Bibliography 
of the Algonquian Languages," published by 
the Smithsonian Institution in 1891, gives a 
good description of Father La Brosse's writ- 
ings and works. The labor of composing and 
revising the proofs of such a book must have 
taxed the patience and time of the printer to 
their very utmost, yet he charged but ,^45 for 
2,000 copies of 6 sheets, 8vo. 

Enough of the early issues of the Quebec 
press — more would cease- to interest the gen- 
eral reader.' Brown & Gilmore remained in 
partnership for nearly ten years when, in 1773, 
Thomas Gilmore died. During the two or 
three years preceding his death he had been 
unable to withstand the temptations attending 
prosperity, he had fallen into loose habits, neg- 
lected his work, overdrawn his account — in 
fact, had become a thorn in Brown's side. 



THE ORIGIN OF PRINTING ON THE SHORES OF THE ST. LA WRENCE. I99 



Brown continued the business alone, but in a 
very careful and conservative manner. At 
this time much sympathy was felt throughout 
Canada for the victims of the Boston mas- 
sacre and their families; subscriptions were 
collected for the latter. Brown contributed 
jQ'^o to this fund, a very handsome sum in 
those days. 

Then came the time when the old French 
province was invaded by the Congressional 
^army, when the citadel city of Quebec re- 
mained the last foothold of England in Canada. 
Brown's sentiments of loyalty to the British 
crown and institutions were too deep rooted 
to permit him to sympathise with men whom 
he considered to be rebels. He shouldered 
his musket and served devotedly as a militia- 
man, on the walls of the city, at the battle of 
the 31st of December, 1775, when Montgomery 
was killed, and until the end of the siege in 
May following, when the retreat of the besieg- 
ers under General Wooster became a rout. 
After the beginning of the siege in December, 
1775, all affairs were at a stand-still and the 
" Quebec Gazette " ceased to appear until the 
August following, when the country had re- 
covered, to some extent, its normal condition. 

It was at this time that a second press made 
its appearance in Canada. The printers were 
Fleury Mesplet and Charles Berger, both print- 
ers originally from old France. They had set- 
tled in Philadelphia; there they had been picked 
up by Franklin who, together with Samuel 
Chase and John and Charles Carroll of Carroll- 
ton, had been deputed to Canada as Commis- 
sioners of Congress, for the purpose of inducing 
the French Canadians to espouse the Revolu- 
tionary cause. It was deemed that French 
printers would be important factors in dissemin- 
ating the offers and blandishments of Congress, 
and with that object in view these two men and 
a press followed on the heels of the Commission. 
The Commissioners perceiving their mission a 
failure, wisely recrossed the borders, but left 
behind their printers, press and materials. 
These two worthies first opened an office in 
Quebec, and their first output was a volume 
of French hymns Soon after they returned 
to Montreal, where they printed several small 



works of a religious character. Meanwhile, 
Charles Berger disappears from the scene, 
leaving Fleury Mesplet alone to prosecute his 
trade. He signalized himself, in 1778, by 
publishing the first French newspaper in Can- 
ada, "La Gazette Litteraire," also a small 
almanac for 1778 and 1779, both of extreme 
rarity. At this time his labors were violently 
interrupted ; he was accused of republican 
sympathies, sedition, etc., and thrown into 
prison in Quebec. There he remained incar- 
cerated in the Recollet convent until the peace 
of 1783, when the mother country and her 
daughter agreed to live apart. Mesplet, set 
free, lost no time in recriminations, but 
founded the "Montreal Gazette," which, 
although still extant, had at first a very fitful 
and uncertain existence in the hands of sev- 
eral masters, viz.: Mesplet, L. & J. Roy, Ed- 
ward Edwards, James Brown a nephew of 
William Brown, and others 

Meanwhile our friend William Brown and 
his Quebec Gazette continued the even tenor 
of their ways. The large number of troops 
stationed in or coming through Canada during 
the war, and when peace came, the renewal of 
commercial activity brought subscribers, 
printing orders, and gold into his strongbox. 
Previous to 1779 annual sheet calendars had 
been found amply sufficient for the needs of 
the country. Brown now judged that alma- 
nacs would be appreciated by the public, and 
that year was issued the Quebec Almanack 
for 1780, the first of that most important 
series of almanacs which continued to appear 
year after 5'ear until 1S41. The older num- 
bers are now exceedingly scarce — they are 
valued by collectors at from fifteen to twenty 
dollars apiece — all are rare and much sought 
after on account of the curious and important 
records they contain. 

William Brown died suddenly on the 2 2d 
of March, 1789, aged about fifty-three. He 
was buried in St. Matthew's Cemetery, John 
street, Quebec. He had never married. Four 
years before his death he had prevailed on 
his widowed sister in Scotland, Mrs. Isabel 
Brown Neilson, to confide to him the future 
of her son Samuel. Subsequently John fol- 



200 



A SOUVENIR OF THE ST. LAWRENCE RIVER. 



lowed his brother. Although but mere boys 
at the time of their uncle's death, they con- 
tinued to manage his printing business, the 
Gazette, his government contracts, in a word, 
his large estate, in their own behalf and also 
for the benefit of other heirs in Scotland, for 
Brown had died intestate. Samuel survived 
his uncle but four years. He died in January, 
1793. His death was a distinct loss to the 
Province, for few men are endowed with more 
practical and brilliant qualities than he had. 
He was a particular favorite at the Chateau 
Saint Louis and in social circles. H. R. H. 
Prince Edward (Duke of Kent, father of 
Queen Victoria) honored him with his friend- 
ship — he was then colonel of the 7th Fusi- 
leers in garrison at Quebec. It is said that 
Samuel Neilson contracted the cold which 
caused his death while enjoying a tandem sleigh 
drive vvith the prince. Andre Michaud, the 
botanist, mentions him in his memoirs as being 
a man of surprising scientific attainments. 

The young Neilsons showed enterprise and 
push enough, first, to found the " Quebec 
Magazine," in 1791, a monthly issue (some 
numbers illustrated); it diud for want of sup- 
port after its third volume, shortly after the 
death of Samuel; second, to buy out the stock 
in trade, press, etc., of a small rival sheet 
which had been in existence a few years in 
Quebec. They sent this material and one of 
their foremen, named Louis Roy, to found a 
printing office and newspaper at New Ark, on 
the Niagara River, the new capital of the new 
province of Upper Canada, in 1793. The 
" Upper Canada Gazette or American Oracle," 
April 18, 1793, was the result of their enter- 
prise, the pioneer press of the west. Louis 
Roy, however, left alone to himself, disap- 
pointed his patrons, abandoned his post, and 
returned to Montreal the year following. 
G. Tiffany picked up the work where Roy 
had dropped it, and continued the publication 
of the U. C. Gazette until its transfer to York 
(now Toronto) in 1799, where it was printed 
by W. Waters and T. G. Simons. These 
printers proved unequal to the task. This 
gave John Neilson, of the Quebec Gazette, a 
second opportunity of opening a branch print- 



ing establishment in Upper Canada. He se- 
lected for that purpose his trusted foreman, 
John Bennett, and supplied him with a fair 
equipment from his office. Bennett started 
from Quebec in June, 1801. It took him one 
month and three days to reach York. On 
the 20th of August he wrote to John Neilson: 
"* * * I waited on the Governor (Sir Peter 
Hunter, nick-named Blue Peter), when His Ex- 
cellency appointed me " King's Printer for Up- 
per Canada," and Sheriff MacDonell sent with 
me to demand the types from my predeces- 
sors, who had not the least wind of the busi- 
ness. Mr. Simons is a young man of some 
abilities, and much believes in York's future, 
but it appears his sentiments were rather 
inimical to government. Waters, whom I 
have now to assist me, is as honest, good- 
natured a fellow as I would wish to see, only 
he likes to take a hearty twist at the bottle, 
etc. * * * Simons has acquired a genteel 
property since he has been in government era- 
ploy, and Waters is also possessed of some.". 

Bennett took over the publication of the 
Upper Canada Gazette, and set immediately 
about printing the first volume of the " Jour- 
nals of the House of Assembly of Upper 
Canada," in iSoi, a quarto of 74 pages. The 
" Statutes " followed in 1802; a beautifully 
printed "Almanack" for 1803, etc., etc.; all 
which are of exceeding scarcity. Bennett, 
unfortunately by contamination, or natural in- 
clination, drifted into habits similar to those of 
his assistant, Waters. He neglected his busi- 
ness; he became involved in all sorts of trouble; 
finally, John Neilson, in 1807-8, had to come 
to York to close in disgust his connection 
with the printing business in Upper Canada. 

At the end of last century, G. and Sylvester 
Tiffany continued printing at Niagara. Their 
paper was known as the " Constellation." 
They issued an almanac in 1802. The other 
pioneers of the press, on the banks of the St. 
Lawrence, were: S. Miles, who founded the - 
" Kingston Gazette " in 1810, at Kingston, 
now represented by the " Daily News. " The 
same printer started the " Prescott Telegraph " 
in 1823. The " Brockville Recorder" was 
originated in 1820. 



BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF /. L. H. NEILSON. 



20I 



The population of both Canadas now in- 
creased with rapid strides, and with it innu- 
merable pressi's and periodicals of all sorts — 
some possessed of vitality; others of the mush- 
room tribe, and ephemeral in nature, arose, 
lived and vanished in every new village. 

To return to the old Quebec press. After 
the death of his brother Samuel, in 1793, 
John Neilson continued the publication of the 
Quebec Gazette. Under his editorship and 
management it gained in influence and im- 
portance; addressing itself in its French and 
English columns to both nationalities, with no 
serious rival in sight, it became a power in the 
land, while, at the same time, it was the vehicle 
of government proclamations and mandates. 
John Neilson was elected to the legislature in 
1817, and he occupied a seat in the councils 
of the nation until his death. His great abili- 
ties, his integrity, his devotion to the public 
weal, his eloquence, his powerful editorials in 
his paper, soon brought him to the front rank 
among the public men of his day. Thrice 
he was deputed to London by his fellow 
citizens to watch over their interests, and 
on one occasion to present petitions for re- 
dress at the foot of the throne. He died in 



1848, aged 73, regretted, loved and revered 
by all. 

The Quebec Gazette celebrated its centen- 
nial sixteen years after his death, in i ■;64. 
Thirty-one years have since then elapsed, and 
the Qiiebec Gazette continues to appear. Its 
last number, now before me, is dated Wednes- 
day, May I, 1895, No. 12,371, vol. cxxiv. For 
some years past it has been practically the 
weekly edition of the Quebec Chronicle, and 
owned by the same proprietor. It is twenty- 
three years older than the London Times, and 
now one of the oldest newspapers in the 
world. It may be of interest to the readers 
of this historical sketch to know that its 
writer has in his collection a complete file of 
the Quebec Gazette, from its prospectus and 
first number, on June 21, 1764, up to 1S50, 
the subsequent years are unfortunately not 
quite so complete. Such as it is, this lone 
series of files of the same newspaper, covering 
nearly a century and a half of time, is believed 
to be unique. 

It is safe to state that the preceding pages 
embody more facts relating to the origin of 
printing in Canadi than has yet been given to 
the public by any other writer on this subject. 



BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF J. L. H. NEILSON, 



M. D., R. C. A., DEPU 

Few, if any, officers at present in the mili- 
tary service of Canada, have experienced such 
varied war service as the subject of this sketch. 
Shortly after graduating as M. D., he was ap- 
pointed assistant surgeon to the Royal Artil- 
lery in Canada, in October, 1869. In April, 
1870, he was selected to form part of the 
medical staff of the small army sent under 
colonel (now Lord Wolseley), to suppress the 
first Red River rebellion. This proved to be 
one of the most difficult and arduous expedi- 
tions ever undertaken by British troops, but 
attended with complete success. He re- 
mained eighteen months attached to the mili- 
tary service in the north-west, volunteering 
meanwhile to attend the victims of a frightful 



TY SURGEON-GENERAL. 

small-pox epidemic which raged among the 
Indians on the plains. In the autumn of 1871, 
he was recalled to Canada to assist in the organ- 
ization of A and B Batteries of regular Cana- 
dian Artillery, and since that time has re- 
mained connected with the artillery service- 
He accompanied his corps in several bloody 
encounters with the mobs of the ancient 
capital during the labor riots from 1872-7. 
At this time he was attached to the Army 
Medical School at Netley, in England. Dur- 
ing the Russo-Turkish campaign in the Bal- 
kans, he volunteered in the Red Cross 
ambulances. At the close of the campaign 
he returned to his former duties in Canada. 
During the winter of 1879-80, he spent some 



202 



A SOUVENIR OF THE ST. LAWRENCE RIVER. 



weeks in Washington, studying the admirable 
medical organization of the United States 
Army, then under the able administration of 
those war veterans, Generals Barnes and 
Crane. 

In 1884, when it was decided to select the 
Nile route for the Gordon relief expedition, 



organizing, equipping, disciplining and con- 
ducting to the land of the Pharaohs these 
rough, half-wild backwoodsmen and Indians, 
previously unaccustomed to restraint or con- 
trol of any sort ; yet, within six weeks of the 
issue of the first cable order, 480 voyageurs 
were landed in Alexandria, and ten days later 




J. L. HUBERT NEILSON, ESQ., M. D., R. C. A., DEPUTY SURGEON-GENERAL. 



Lord Wolseley called to his aid the hardy 
Canadian voyageurs to assist the troops in 
overcoming the cataracts and rapids of the 
Nile. Lord Wolseley specially selected Col. 
Denison and Dr. Neilson, whom he remem- 
bered favorably during the Red River expedi- 
tion of 1870-71, for the purpose of recruiting. 



they were at work in the Soudan. After his ar- 
rival in Egypt, Dr. Neilson was attached to the 
first field hospital. He followed the troops in 
their arduous march across the Bayuda desert, 
was present at Abu Klea, etc. Then later he 
was sent to Suakira, on the Red Sea coast. 
For these services in Egypt, he was specially 



BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF J. L. H. NEILSON. 



203 



mentioned in Lord Wolesley's despatches, as 
published in the London Official Gazette of 
August 25, 1885. He was rewarded with the 
Egyptian war medal with two clasps, the 
Khedivial bronze star and made Knight of 
the Royal Order of Milusine, for special ser- 
vices gratuitously given to Christian refugees, 
who had fled from Khartoum before the siege 
commenced. 

Since that date. Dr. Neilson has served in 
peace, chiefly as medical officer of the Royal 
Military College of Kingston, Canada (see 
page 28 of this volume), and of the garrison 
of Kingston as Chairman of the Board on 
Militia Medical Organization, etc., etc. 

He has found time between his many pro- 
fessional callings to follow his natural bent 
towards historical research. His library of 
books, MSS., maps, portraits and reviews — re- 
lating to the history of America, and of Canada 
in particular — is one of if not the largest pos- 
sessed by any private individual; in fact, it is 
quite unique. This famous library was com- 
menced in iSoi, when his grandfather, the late 
Honorable John Neilson, of the Quebec Ga- 
zette, purchased the greater part of the rare 
books and MSS. belonging to the old Jesuit 
College in Quebec when it was sold by order 
of the Government. To these beginnings 
have been added the collections of three lives. 
We might enumerate a few of the MSS.: 
One was written by Pere Marquette in 167 1, 
the discoverer of the Mississippi, entitled 
" Praeces Illinicae," written in the dialect of 
the Illinois Indians; it is thought to be all that 
remains extant of this language. The Pere 
Sylvie MS. of about 1680, is a dictionary of 
the Montagnais language, and philologically 
important, as well as four other old Jesuit 
MSS. All the Wm. Brown correspondence 
with Philadelphia, relating to the origin of 
printing in Canada, his diary, and all his 
account books from 1764-89, and the office 
books of the Neilsons and their correspondence 
until 1850, containing all their printing trans- 
actions; an enormous number of correspond- 
ence and letters of public men, from the be- 
ginning to the middle of the present century, 
etc., etc., form part of its riches. Among the 



printed, books are a complete file of the Que- 
bec Gazette from June, 1764, to the present 
day; fifty-five years of the Quebec Almanacks 
from 1781 to 1841 — by far the most complete 
series known; the presentment of the grand 
jury, Quebec, 1765 ; the Stamp Act, Quebec, 
1765; Labrasse's Nehiro-Irenui, 1767; Cugnet's 
Laws, Quebec, 1775; the Trait6 d;s Mes- 
sieurs, Quebec, 1772; the Mohawk Prayer 
Book, Quebec, 1780; Reglement de la Con- 
frerie Mesplet, Montreal, 1776 (first book 
printed in Montreal) ; the Upper Canada 
Almanack, York, 1802, together with all of 
Bennett's and Louis Roy's correspondence 
relating to the early Upper Canada press; the 
Quebec Directory, 1790; the Quebec Maga- 
zine, three volumes, 1791-2; the British-Ameri- 
can Register, Quebec, 1805; the Canadian, 
1807-10, etc., etc. ; the original Jesuit rela- 
tions, Champlain, 1619; Lescarbot, i6n; 
Sagard, 1630; DeLact, 1640, are represented 
by choice examples. To these value is added 
by the binder's best efforts. This collection 
is also exceptionally rich in early Canadian 
pamphlets. 

Dr. Neilson has supplied the press and 
magazines with many articles embodying his 
researches: "The Royal Canadian Volunteers, 
1794-1802;" "The Diary of a French Cana- 
dian Officer during the war of 1812;" "The 
Last Days of Fort Frontenac under the Fleur 
de Lis," are historical sketches of real merit. 
The article on the " Origin of Printing on 
the Shores of the St. Lawrence," in this 
volume, is from his pen. Dr. Neilson has, 
for years, given much attention and labor to 
the collection of material for a history of the 
origin of the press in Canada, and a biblio- 
graphy of the early Canadia printers up to 
1820, and we have reason to believe that his 
volume may appear before many months. 

Dr. Neilson is one of the founders and first 
vice-president of the Kingston Historical So- 
ciety and for the second time president of the 
Mechanics' Institute; he is honorary member 
of the Numismatic and Historical Society of 
Montreal; of the Societa Araldicae Historica of 
Rome; of the Institut de Psychologic of Paris, 
etc., etc. He is hereditary Seigneur of the 



204 



A SOUVENIR OF THE ST. LAWRENCE RIVER. 



Seigniory of Hubert, in the province of Que- 
bec. His private residence is Glendornal, 
Neilsonville, P. Q. 

His medical sphere of action is strictly 
limited to the military under bis immediate 
charge. Professional reading engrosses much 
of his time, being favored with an open, liber; 1 
and independent mind — unhampered by the 
dogmatic teachings of schools ^— new ideas and 
new methods enlist his sympathy, and if pos- 
sessed of merit are adopted by him ; he has 
thus become an adept of the system of medi- 
cine known as Burgrasvian or Dosimetric — 
he has for years investigated the application of 
Hypnotism to the treatment of certain forms 
of disease. Under this head he has contributed 



articles to the " Revue de I'Hypnotism," pub- 
lished in Paris, which have attracted attention 
abroad. 

Dr. Neilson is unassuming, easily approach- 
ed, a man of many admirable traits of charac- 
ter. As a bibliographer he is probably not 
excelled in the country. From his library 
have come the excellent pictures of Count 
Frontenac and the Chevalier l.a Salle, which 
are reproduced in this volume ; two pictures 
that would be difficult to duplicate in Canada. 
Deputy Surgeon-General Neilson's services in 
the field have won for him merited promotion, 
but his real worth is best appreciated by those 
with whom he has served, and by those who 
know him best. 



MELZAR FOWLER. 



Melzar Fowler, now only dimly remem- 
bered by the older people of Jefferson county, 
N. Y. , was born in Edinburgh, Saratoga 
county, N. Y., in 1803, and came to Depau- 
ville in the early twenties with his parents, 
Anson Fowler and Maria Esselstyn Fowler. 
His sister Jane also accompanied them (she 
subsequently marrying Eldridge G. Merick), 
and her brother John. The father com- 
menced a mercantile business in Depauville, a 
new settlement which had just begun to de- 
velop its lumbering interest. This settlement 
was on the rapids of Catfish Creek, which at 
that time was a stream of fair size, with suffi- 
cient water to float timber down to its mouth 
at Lake Ontario — not at all resembling the 
greatly diminished stream it now appears, after 
having its banks, along its whole course, de- 
nuded of timber. The care of this business 
early fell upon Melzar, the eldest son, and 
when he was about twenty years of age he 
bore the responsibility of his father's mercan- 
tile affairs. 

After some years, wishing to extend his 
operations, Melzar established a store at 
Brownville, and went there to live, still main- 
taining the supervision of the store at Depau- 
ville. His younfrer brother, John, also came 



to Brownville as a clerk, and was given an 
interest in the business. 

At that time one branch of Mr. Fowler's 
mercantile business was the manufacture of 
pearl ash from wood ashes. The forests of 
Jefferson county furnished the only fuel in 
those days, and the people of the country 
saved their ashes and sold them to him, and, 
in a building for the purpose, he converted 
these ashes into pearl ash, which was an im- 
portant article of commerce, and found steady 
market in New York. 

Shortly after establishing himself at Brown- 
ville, Melzar married Miss Clarissa Spicer, a 
sister of Mr. Silas Spicer, of Perch River, and 
during their residence there their two child- 
ren, Eldridge and Nettie, were born. During 
these years Melzar enlarged his field of opera- 
tions at Depauville by engaging with Mr. 
Merick in the business of getting out oak 
timber and rafting it to the Quebec market. 
In the spring of 1835 he moved his family to 
Depauville, giving up the business in Brown- 
ville, in order that he might give his entire 
attention to the Depauville operations, and be 
with his aged parents, while John went to 
Clayton in the interest of Smith & Merick. 

At that early day, Watertown was, as it is 



JOHN N. FOWLER. 



205 



now, the business center for the surrounding 
country, the only method of travel being by 
private conveyance. It was while going there 
on business in August, 1835, soon after the 
family moved to Depauville, that Mr. Fowler 
had the great misfortune to have a pair of 
horses, one of which was vicious and unre- 
liable. 

He stopped at a hotel, and when it came 
time to feed the animal the hostler was afraid 
to enter the stall, and called Mr. Fowler from 
the hotel, who at once took the feed-measure 
in his hand and entered the stall. The vic- 
ious horse, not recognizing his master, dealt 
him a blow with one of his forefeet, which 
proved fatal in three days. Everything was 
done for Mr. Fowler that could be known, 
but the blow had produced an internal 
rupture. 

Thus died, in the flower of his youth, and 
in the midst of his usefulness, one who had 
the warm regard of all his business associates, 
and whose morning of life was full of promise. 

It is remembered of Mr. Fowler that many 
farmers brought their sons to him to educate 
in mercantile pursuits, so great was their con- 
fidence in his possessing all the traits that 
would bring such youths into an earnest and 
successful manhood. 

His death, so sudden, so tragical, elicited 



universal regret and sympathy. His wife and 
her two children remained at Depauville, but 
the faithful mother never was herself again. 
A woman of superior mental ability and per- 
sonal beauty, and with a natural refinement 
much beyond most of those by whom she was 
surrounded, her loss wore upon her energies, 
and she survived her husband only seven years. 

The two children, Eldridge and Nettie, 
thus left orphans at the age of nine and seven 
years, respectively, were tenderly cared for by 
their grandmother Fowler and their uncle, 
Hon. E. G. Merick. 

Elridge went later to live in the family of 
Mr. Hugh Smith, of Perch River, and after- 
wards with his uncle John Fowler until com- 
ing of age, when he went West, where he has 
since lived and become indentified with large 
lumber and land interests in Michigan, Min- 
nesota and Canada. 

The daughter grew to womanhood in the 
home of her grandparents and her uncle and 
aunt Merick, receiving at their hands the best 
educational advantages. She married Cyrus 
H. McCormick, of reaper fame. Both as the 
right-hand helper of her husband during his 
life-time, and later in the administration of 
his estate (with her son Cyrus), she has been 
called to bear some of the heavier responsi- 
bilities of life. 



JOHN N. FOWLER. 



The writer of this sketch never had any 
personal acquaintance with the subject of it. 
For the facts stated herein he is indebted to 
several old residents of Clayton, chiefly the 
following, viz.: Thomas Rees, a partner of 
Mr. Fowler in some of his business enter- 
prises, who made a written statement of facts; 
Messrs. D. C. Porter and Perry Caswell, 
members of the M. E. Church with Mr. 
Fowler, who was a faithful and substantial 
member of that church; A. F. Barker, John 
Johnston and Capt. William Rees. 

The father of Mr. Fowler came from the 
eastern part of this State and settled in 
Depauville in the early part of this century. 



There he engaged in mercantile business and 
reared his family. In time, one of his daugh- 
ters became the wife of Hon. E. G. Merick, 
subject of a biographical sketch elsewhere in 
this volume. One of his sons, Melzar, was 
father of Nettie Fowler, afterwards the wife, 
and now the widow of Cyrus H. McCormick, 
of Chicago. A lady of great wealth, and 
whose generous heart and bountiful hand 
have justly earned her a reputation, of which 
it is no exaggeration to say it is national. 

John N. Fowler left Depauville in 1835, 
and came to Clayton. He purchased the in- 
terest of a Mr. Moreton in the old store of 
Smith & Merick, standing on the bank of the 



2o6 



A SOUVENIR OF THE ST. LAWRENCE RIVER. 



river, where Simon Breslow's store is now 
located. Stephen Hale, a clerk for Mr. 
Fowler for a few years, afterwards became 
his partner in the store. But Mr. Fowler 
could not confine himself to mere storekeep- 
ing. The country was new and rich in both 
soil and timber. In 1836 or 1837 he pur- 
chased several hundred acres of land lying 
about two miles south of Clayton. In a few 
years this wild land was converted into a 
farm, so well improved that the County 
Agricultural Society bestowed on its owner a 
first prize for his improvements. 

In 1844, Mr. Fowler formed a partnership 
with Henry Esselstyn under the name of 
Fowler & Esselstyn. The latter had for years 
been bookkeeper in the large lumbering busi- 
ness of E. G. Merick, and the business of 
Fowler & Esselstyn was carried on in con- 
junction with his. It consisted of rafting and 
forwarding to the Quebec market a vast 
amount of timber and staves, brought to Clay- 
ton in vessels from the shores of the upper 
lakes, and in ship building. For many years 
they built one to four steamers and sailing 
vessels every year. All the following named, 
and many more, were built at their yard in 
Clayton, viz. : Bay State, Cataract and New 
York. The British Queen and British Em- 
pire, designed for use down the river, were 
built by them at Port Metcalf in Canada. 

During much of the time Mr. Fowler was 
so engaged with Mr. Merick, he dealt largely 
in real estate on his own separate account. 
He bought a large tract lying contiguous to 
Clayton, known as the Lawrence Lands. He 
disposed of the property to actual settlers, and 
invested the proceeds in timber-lands in the 



West ; and, as coincidently, the lumbering 
business of the firm was, year after year, ex- 
tending farther and farther westward, there 
was a constantly growing necessity to move 
the place of business in that direction. At 
first a branch office was opened in Detroit. 
But with Clayton as a base of operations, 
Detroit was found to be an inconvenient out- 
post with the means of communication then 
in vogue. And, more than this, Detroit had 
become a city, rapid in growth, brilliant in 
prospects, and already taking a prominent 
position in shipbuilding for the upper lakes. 
Cut off from that region by the small pro- 
portions of the Welland canal, and at great 
disadvantage in the matter of timber, not to 
speak of other important items in shipbuild- 
ing, little Clayton could no longer hold this 
great and enterprising firm. In 1856 their 
Clayton property and business was disposed 
of to Thomas Rees, and they moved to De- 
troit. There they opened an immense dry- 
dock and ship-yard, and continued lumbering 
operations in the West, under the firm name 
of Merick, Fowler & Esselstyn. 

The old acquaintances of Mr. Fowler stilt 
living in Clayton, speak of him as a man of 
great energy and wonderful endurance, a 
strict church member, a public spirited citi- 
zen, an honorable man and one highly exact 
in his requirements of others, while holding 
himself bound by the same rule of conduct. 
To him may be applied this grand and safe 
rule of excellence and ability — in every sta- 
tion where he was known, boy or man, and in 
whatever he undertook, he measured fully up 
to the requirements of the occasion. That is 
a test which can be applied to but few men. 

G. H. s. 



THE SPICER FAMILY. 



Standing well up from the river's edge, on 
Hemlock Island, one mile west of Thousand 
Island Park, is the cottage shown above, 
built in the winter of 1875-6, being one of the 
earliest upon the river. It is the summer 
home of Hon. Henry Spicer, for nearly his 



whole lifetime a resident of Perch River, 
N. Y. 

The Spicer family was one of the early ar- 
rivals in Jefferson county, and trace theii 
lineage in an unbroken descent from three 
brothers, natives of Normandy, who came intc> 



THE SPICER FAMILY. 



207 



England as "gentlemen volunteers" with 
William the Conquerer. These brothers set- 
tled T-espectively in Devonshire, Warwick and 
Kent, England. The two who settled in 
Devonshire and Warwick still have descend- 
ants residing there. In the 36th year of 
Queen Elizabeth's reign (1594) an account is 
given of this family, from their first "being 
officers and magistrates of the honorable city 
of Exeter, beginning with the first year of 
England's first Edward (1273) and continuing 
to the 7th year of Queen Anne (1708); and 



honorable a city, continuing for so long a 
course of years, their estate being also equiva- 
lent to their antiquity — they having also be- 
stowed a considerable one on the chamber of 
Exeter, to uphold its guardian." In 1357 it 
is further related that " the Black Prince (son 
of Edward III) came out of France bringing 
with him prisoner. King John of France, 
whom he had taken a little time before at 
Poictiers. He landed at Plymouth, and came 
to Exeter, where John Spicer was mayor, who 
received the prince and his prisoner with much 




" GLEN-COVE " COTTAGE, HEMLOCK ISLAND. 



during the whole of these 435 years some one 
of the Spicer family was mayor of Exeter. Of 
this illustrious line " John Spicer " was mayor 
from 1252 to 1359 — 107 years, though, of 
course, there were several individual "Johns." 
In an accurate account of the ancient fam- 
ily of Spicers, taken from an original manu- 
script extracted from a description of the 
County of Devon, A. D., 1714, we learn that "but 
few families in England can show such a pre- 
cedent of the office of mayor of so ancient and 



display." It is further related that the "fam- 
ily of Spicers in the times of the three Edwards 
were principal officers and magistrates of 
Exeter, and were then considered for their 
many and gentlemanly qualities and virtues ; 
for in those days such men for their virtues and 
not for their wealth, were magistrates and 
governors, and in all places of trust." 

Members of this distinguished family were 
in Jamestown, Va., in 1618, and in Rhode 
Island in 1660. They were also settled in the 



2o8 



A SOUVENIR OF THE ST. LAWRENCE RIVER. 



vicinity of Stonington, Conn., until after th: 
Revolutionary War. They were both officers 
and privates in the Continental Army, and 
fought from Bunker Hill to Saratoga. They 
came into New York in 1792, and into Jeffer- 
son county in 18 12. 

The Esselstyns. 

The author of this volume has had access 
to papers, well authenticated, which show that 
the Esselstyn family (commencing with King 
Clovis in 500 A. D.) were of the same stock 
as those of that name who came to America, 
but the date of their arrival in this country is 
yet uncertain. 

The Chittendens. 

Another fact he has discovered, that the 
Chittenden family are related to the Essels- 
tyns and the Fowlers. Thomas Chittenden, 
a linen weaver, came with his son Isaac into 
America in 1635 from Wapping, in Kent, 
England, settling in Plymouth county, Mass., 
and his descendants are still found there. 
William Chittenden was one of the company 
of twenty-five, gathered chiefly from Kent, 
Surrey and Sussex in the South of England, 
who determined to leave their native country 
and seek a new home in the wilderness of 
America. Their first recorded acts as a sepa- 
rate community was a covenant which they 
signed on ship-board, while on the passage, 
binding each other to plant themselves in 
New England, near Quinnipiack, if possible, 
and to be helpful to each other in every com- 
mon work, according to every man's ability, 



and as need should require. Besides William 
Chittenden there were twenty- four other sign- 
ers to this agreement, and, so far as history 
has been able to indicate, it was solemnly kept. 

This William Chittenden had several chil- 
dren born to him in England. His wife was 
Joanna Sheaffe, whose sister Dorothy was the 
wife of Rev. Henry Whitfield, the first minis- 
ter and a leading member of the Guilford 
Colony. The date of William Chittenden's 
sixth child's birth is upon the Guilford record, 
as of November 15, 1649. February i, 1660, 
he died. He was undoubtedly the progenitor 
of the older families of his name in the United 
States, and the Chittendens of Oneida and 
Jefferson county undoubtedly sprang from 
this stock. 

Joseph Chittenden, son of Joseph, who was 
descended in a direct line from the original 
William, was aged 92 when he died, April 7, 
1794. Lucy, his daughter, born at Guilford 
October 8, 1736, married Melzar Fowler, 
March 10, 1768. He was the progenitor of 
the Fowler family in Jefferson county, known 
so well at Clayton, and represented in this 
history by the biographical sketch of John 
Fowler and his brother Melzar, this latter 
being the father of Mrs. Nettie F. McCor- 
mick. This family and the Esselstyns are 
related through the fact that Anson Chit- 
tenden, born December 18, 1768 (son of 
the above-named Lucy Fowler), married 
Maria Esselstyn, and in that way the Fowlers, 
Esselstyns and Chittenden families of Jeffer- 
son county are related to one another by mar- 
riage. 



LA SALLE. 

In 1643, at Rouen, in France, was born latter affix being the name of an estate near 



Robert Cavalier, better known by the desig- 
nation of La Salle. His name in full was 
Rene-Robert Cavalier, Sieur de la Salle — the 



Rouen, belonging to the Cavaliers. His edu- 
cation was liberal, and he early manfested the 
traits which afterwards made him so illustrious. 



LA SALLE. 



209 



He was a Catholic in faith, and a member of 
the order of Jesuits. He had an elder brother 
in Canada, and this fact doubtless shaped his 
destinies, for in the spring of 1666, in his 23d 
year, we find him in Canada, where the Semi- 
nary of St. Sulpice, a corporation of French 
priests, had already made a settlement under 



ern New York, who had already, notwithstand- 
ing their other vast possessions in America, 
began to feel a desire to possess Canada, and 
thus extend their sway — as it is seen to day — 
from Newfoundland to the Northern Pacific 
and Arctic Oceans. In La Salle they per- 
ceived a young man of fine appearance, eager 







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THE CHEVALIER LA SALLE. 



very extensive landed and proprietary grants 
from the French king. These priests were 
in great terror continually from the Iroquois 
Indians, who had lately been severely chastised 
by Coursell, the Governor of Canada, and 
their hate was unbounded against the French, 
stimulated, doubtless, by the English in East- 



for just such an engagement as these priests 
desired to make, which was to procure a man 
of energy and military capacity who would 
lead any body of armed men they could raise 
to defend Montreal, and the settlements there- 
abouts, from the dreaded Iroquois. They 
gave La Salle a large tract of land nine miles 



2IO 



A SOUVENIR OF THE ST. LAWRENCE RIVER. 



above Montreal, their actual outpost of civil- 
ization, which is nov,- known as La Chine, 
above the great rapids of that name. La 
Salle entered upon the improvement of his 
large domain, and began to sell his acres to 
such as he could induce to join him. 

That this young man had come to Canada 
with a settled purpose in view, now began to 
be apparent. He began to study the Indian 
dialects. Hemmed in as he was by the great 
and apparently interminable forests which 
surrounded the palisade he had erected for 
defense against an Indian attack, his fertile 
mind went beyond his narrow environment, 
beyond even the great river which roared and 
fretted upon one side of his domain, and 
soared westward and southward towards an 
easier way to China and Japan than had as yet 
been attained. So imperfect at that time were 
even educated people's ideas as of the earth's 
geography, that La Salle did not understand 
that the countries his enterprising mind would 
reach were upon the other side of the globe, 
thousands of miles away. On one occasion 
he was visited by a band of the Seneca Iro- 
quois, who told him of a river called the Ohio, 
rising in their country, which flowed south- 
ward into the sea. La Salle at once conceived 
the idea that this great river must needs flow 
into the Gulf of California, and thus he could 
find what his soul was on fire to obtain — a 
western passage to China. His resolution was 
soon formed. Obtaining, first, the consent of 
the governors of the seminary to the enterprise 
he had in hand, he sold to them his lands near 
La Chine, in order to raise needed money for 
his enterprise, the whole expense of which 
was to be borne by himself. He purchased 
four large canoes, and engaged fourteen men. 
On the 6th of July, 1670, he set out upon his 
double expedition for exploration and the 
purchase of furs from the Indians. We can- 
not follow his footsteps with the pertinacity of 
Parkman, whose excellent history is before us, 
and can, at the best, only generalize the sub- 
sequent career of this great explorer. 

Thirty-five days after leaving La Chine, they 
reached Irondequoit Bay, on the south side of 
Lake Ontario. Here they remained a month 



or more, and on the 24th of September were at 
an Indian village only a few miles north of 
the present city of Hamilton. These Indians 
proved more friendly than those upon the 
south shore of the lake, and promised to show 
La Salle a more direct road to the Ohio. It 
was here he met Louis Joliet, a young man 
of about his own age, and also an explorer. 
He had come from the southwest, the very- 
region La Salle was striving to reach. Paion 
had sent Joliet to explore the copper mines 
of Lake Superior. This meeting caused a 
change of La Salle's plans, for Joliet showed 
him a map of the region he himself had trav- 
ersed, including Lake Superior and the Grand 
River. Step by step La Salle moved west- 
ward, spending much time with the Indians, 
and in 1870-71 he had embarked on Lake 
Erie, descended the Detroit to Lake Huron, 
coasted the shores of Lake Michigan, passed 
the straits of Mackinaw, afterwards reaching 
a river with a southwestern flow (the Illinois), 
which took him into the Mississippi, and he 
may be said to have been the first white man 
upon that mighty affluent in its upper region. 
It is claimed by some that he also discovered 
the Ohio; but if so, he never descended it as 
farasits junction with the Mississippi. He un- 
doubtedly preceded Joliet, but both La Salle 
and Frontenac, his ardent supporter, believed, 
as late as 1672, that the Mississippi flowed di- 
rectly south into the Gulf of California, and 
that it thus afforded in reality a direct connect- 
ing link to the Pacific Ocean, across which 
they well knew were China and Japan. 

Circumscribed as our limits are, we are un- 
able to follow La Salle much further. Park- 
man represents him as a man of extraordinary 
determination, full of virile vigor, with a stal- 
wart frame, and with so enlarged an intelligence 
that the Jesuit Fathers were afraid of him. 
They called him visionary, and unstable, and 
such they have always designated those who 
were not loyal to their teachings or brought 
fully under their influence. 

In Frontenac, however, the Cavalier de la 
Salle had an uncompromising and devoted 
friend. Thus far his dream had been of a 
short route to China; but when he saw the 



COUNT FRONTENAC. 



211 



grand possibilities of the great valley of the 
Mississippi, with the illimitable prairies which 
we now see mapped out into Illinois, Wiscon- 
sin and Iowa, with the immense forests that 
line both sides of the river below Cairo, 
where the Ohio joins the Mississippi, he re- 
linquished as somewhat chimerical, or perhaps 
postponed for a time, his idea of a short route 
to China. Then it was that he resolved to 
leave frozen Canada behind him forever, and 
lead a French civilization into the great 
country he had discovered. It was for him to 
call into light the latent riches of the great 
West. Frontenac, with whom he kept himself 
well allied, favored him in all his efforts. 
They were both great men, and both deserve 
the highest commendation in history. They 
were both faithful to their king and France, 
and their discoveries were of such a character 
as to make every human being in America 
their debtor. 

In April, 1682, after many adventures and 
much opposition from the Jesuit Fathers, 
much struggling with Indian tribes and pass- 
ing through great dangers and heavy toil, at 
the mouth of the Mississippi, he had at last 
the satisfaction of proclaiming " Louis Le 
Grand," king of all that country we now call 
Louisiana, and which the English never con- 
quered, but came peaceably into the posses- 
sion of the United States by friendly negotia- 
tion and purchase. 

In 1683, somewhat broken in health, he de- 
scended to Quebec and sailed for France. 
Arrived at court, this student and recluse in 
his youth, but backwoodsman in his matured 
manhood, had to encounter the risks of a pre- 
sentation to Royalty and to make headway 
against the intrigues and jealousies which 
always surround a king. Louis XIV, how- 
ever, appreciated' him, but the best that could 
be done for him was to give him a divided 



command in America, which he was to share 
with Beaujen, the jealous and incompetent. 
On July i8th, 1684, he wrote to "his most 
honored mother " that he was about to sail 
with four vessels and four hundred men. This 
voyage to America was principally passed in 
disputations with Beaujen, and when they 
landed at St. Domingo, more than half of the 
people on the vessel were prostrated with 
fever, among them being La Salle. He soon 
recovered, however. Proceeding upon their 
journey they disembarked at Matagorda Bay, 
thinking it one of the mouths of the Missis- 
sippi. Here the Amaible, the ship which con- 
tained nearly all their provisions, was wrecked. 
As we have only imperfectly followed him 
thus far, and have only but slightly sketched 
the character of this great man, we must make 
short work of the matters that led up to his 
death. While upon a journey of exploration, 
anxiously desiring to better the condition of 
the party whom he was trying to lead out of 
trouble, as Parkman graphically expresses it, 
" a shot was fired from the grass instantly fol- 
lowed by another, which pierced through his 
brain, and La Salle dropped dead." Doubt- 
less he was killed by a wretch who had be- 
come disobedient and insolent, and whom La 
Salle had been compelled to rebuke. Thus 
died at the early age of forty-three, Robert 
Cavelier de la Salle, one of the greatest men 
of his age, and one of the most remarkable of 
the explorers whose names live in history. 

His firmness and his courage would have 
left a more marked impression upon his time, 
and he would have been better able to com- 
pletely carry out his grand plans of creat- 
ing in America a New France, had he been 
less imperious and haughty in his manner, and 
less harsh to those under his command, which 
at last drew upon him an implacable hatred, 
and caused his death. j. a. h. 



COUNT FRONTENAC 



Was perhaps the most remarkable man ever 
representing the court of France in the new 
world. From very unpromising beginnings, 



he rose equal to every emergency that con- 
fronted him. His whole career was one of 
conflict, sometimes petty and personal, some- 



212 



A SOUVENIR OF THE ST. LAWRENCE RIVER. 



times involving the greatest consequences. 
Under Frontenac occurred the first serious 
collision between England and France in 
America, which may be said to have been 
the opening of a grand scheme of military 
occupation, designed to hold in check the 
industrial efforts of the English colonies. All 
his later energies were directed to making that 
scheme possible- The contemporaneous his- 
tory of those times, so ably prepared by Park- 
man, shows how valiantly New France battled 



newly-wedded pair was short. The wife's 
love soon changed to aversion, which con- 
tinued even after the birth of her son. 

Count Frontenac came of an ancient and 
noble race, said to have been of Basque origin. 
At the age of fifteen the young Louis showed 
a decided passion for the life of a soldier. 
He served in Holland under the Prince of 
Orange. He was at the siege of Hesdin. He 
was at Arras and at Aire, as well as at Cal- 
lioure and Perpignan. At twenty-three he 




COUNT FRONTENAC. 



against a fate which her own lack of organiz- 
ing capacity made inevitable. The drama 
was a great and significant one, enacted 
amidst untamed forests, largely by men who 
had been reared in France, and some of them 
favorite courtiers of the French king. The 
wife of Count Frontenac was Anne de la 
Grange-Trianon. She was born at Versailles, 
and grew up a favorite companion of Madem- 
ioselle de Montpensier, the favorite grand- 
daughter of Henry IV. She was married to 
Frontenac in 1648. The happiness of the 



was Colonel of the Normandy regiment, and 
commanded it in the Italian campaign. 

In 1673 he received the appointment of 
Governor and Lieutenant-General for the 
king in all New France. Notwithstanding all 
his ability as a soldier, it was court gossip that 
he was sent to America to relieve him from 
the unhappy relations he was known to main- 
tain with his wife, whose temper was outrage- 
ous, carrying herself with such a high head 
that her best friend, Mademioselle de Mont- 
pensier, was obliged to dispense with her ser- 



COUNT FRONTENAC. 



213 



vices as one of her maids of honor. Madam 
Frontenac declined to accompany her husband 
across the sea. 

Frontenac was fifty-two years of age when 
he landed at Quebec. Parkman says that 
" had nature disposed him to melancholy, 
there was much in his position to awaken it. 
A man of courts and camps, he was banished 
to the ends of the earth, among savage hordes 
and half-reclaimed forests. He exchanged 
the splendors of St. Jermain and Versailles 
for a stern gray rock, haunted by somber 
priests, rugged merchants and traders, blank- 
eted Indians and wild bush-rangers." It was 
his to see that Quebec should be made the 
capital of a great empire, which should be 
tributary to distant France. He took an ac- 
tive interest in all the duties of his new position. 
It was a strange freak of his that he should 
administer the oath of allegiance to every per- 
son in Quebec. On the 23d of October, 
1672, what was known as the ''Three Es- 
tates of Canada" were convoked with 
considerable pomp. To these he adminis- 
tered the oath, and then the assembly was 
dissolved. This very act, is, in brief, a strik- 
ing illustration of the French colonial rule in 
Canada. It was a government of excellent 
intentions, but of the most arbitrary methods. 
Frontenac unwisely set himself against the 
prevailing democratic current. The arbitrary 
government of a land like France, where the 
Bourbons who " learned nothing and forgot 
nothing" had held sway so long, was not 
adapted to a new country where people from 
all sections had come to accumulate wealth, 
and (as in all new countries) were possessed 
of very radical ideas of personal freedom. 

The name of Frontenac is one of the most 
interesting in connection with our own Great 
River. Courselle, his predecessor in the 
Governorship of Canada, had begun at what 
we now call Kingston, a fortification large 
enough to receive into its stockade such 
refugees as might desire to fly to a place of 
comparative safety in the event of any Iro- 
quois invasion, which had then but lately 
devastated Quebec, and caused the loss of 
hundreds of innocent lives. Frontenac's 



attention was soon directed to this beginning 
of a fort, and he was fortunate in making the 
acquaintance of a young man who had been 
in the employ of the French priests at Que- 
bec, and had reached Kingston on his way 
westward to trade in furs and make the ex- 
plorations which were yet to make him 
famous. By direction of Frontenac, La 
Salle had previously gone to Onondaga, the 
political center of the Iroquois, and invited 
the great men of that nation to a council on 
the Bay of Quinte. Before setting out. La 
Salle had sent the new Governor a map 
recommending as a site for the proposed fort 
the point at the mouth of the Cataraqui, now 
occupied by the present grand old historic 
city of Kingston. Frontenac ascended the 
St. Lawrence quite leisurely, with one hun- 
dred and twenty canoes and four hundred 
men. Parkman says : " Soon they reached 
the Thousand Islands, and their light flotilla 
glided in long line among those watery laby- 
rinths, by rocky islets, where perhaps some 
lonely pine towered like a mast against the 
sky; by sun-scorched crags, where the brown 
lichens crisped in the parching glare ; by deep 
dells, shady and cool, rich in rank ferns, 
and sponges, dark green mosses ; by still 
cove, where the water-lilies lay like snow- 
flakes on their broad, flat leaves, till at length 
they neared their goal, and the glistening 
bosom of Lake Ontario opened on their 
sight." 

This grand flotilla, piloted by Indians in 
their birch canoes, entered the broad water, 
passing along the shores so familiar now as 
the site of Port Henry on one side, and the 
"West Point of Canada," upon the other, 
reaching at last the point of land where the 
artillery barracks now stand, at the western 
end of Cataraqui bridge. Here they all dis- 
.embarked, and here were subsequently laid, 
broad and massive, the foundation of what was 
subsequently named Fort Frontenac — not so 
named by the Governor himself, but by the 
engineer in charge of the work. [See pp. 35, 
211.] 

It is at this point that La Salle comes 
prominently into public notice, especially as 



214 



A SOUVENIR ap THE ST. LAWRENCE RIVER. 



the friend of Frontenac, whose cause he had 
espoused at Quebec during the famous quar- 
rels between the new Governor and .the 
priests, whom we describe elsewhere as med- 
dlesome and querulous. 

It is a curious historical fact that the old 
stone fort Frontenac was built by La Salle 
with his own money, he having been sent to 
France by Frontenac with letters of the high- 
est recommendation, and the King had made 
to him a grant of the then fort (a mere stock- 
ade) a tract of land of four leagues in front 
and half a league in depth, including the 
neighboring islands. In consideration of this 
rich grant. La Salle completed the fort, armed 
it at his own expense, and maintained it until 
near the time of his death, when it reverted to 
the King, as did all his great tract of land, if 
we are correctly informed. 

Count Frontenac was too independent and 
able a man to submit quietly to the opposi- 
tion of the priests, who claimed by both 
their rights of seigneurage and of their holy 
office, to interfere with his authority. The 
most violent of these he arrested and con- 
fined in prison, and was in the end sustained 
by his King, the quarrel having been referred 
to France for final settlement. Our space, as 
in the case of La Salle, does not permit us to 
more than glance at some of the more leading 
traits and performances of Frontenac, whose 
abilities were marked and actively developed 
in the new field he had entered upon. But 
there was jealousy between Quebec and Mon- 
treal, promoted by rival fur dealers and shared 
in more or less by the meddling priests, whose 
fingers were in everybody's pie, and the result 
was that in the end Frontenac was recalled by 
his king. For seven years he was idling 
around the French court. But he had power- 
ful friends, and his wife, who seems to have 
been more affectionate when he was under a 



cloud than when his word was law and his 
success apparently assured, became his most 
powerful intrigante at the French court. 

At last the King perceived that he had 
made a mistake in recalling Frontenac, matters 
in Canada having gone from bad to worse, 
until at last his patience was exhausted, and 
he asked Frontenac to again accept the gov- 
ernorship. The Count was then seventy years 
of age, but he was tired of inaction and of 
the petty jealousies of the court of France, 
and finally accepted the appointment. 

We have not space to follow him further in 
his adventurous career. He returned to 
Quebec, but Louis XIV had already entered 
upon his decline from being the first monarch 
of Europe. William of Orange was coming 
to the front in England, and before his judi- 
cious plans and energetic management, France 
was soon to be relegated to an inferior position, 
to lose her possessions in Canada, and, save 
her ever-faithful Louisiana, to give up, one by 
one, all she held in America. But the contest 
was not an uneventful one, though the end 
was inevitable from the first. 

In November, 1698, Frontenac, worn down 
by many arduous labors, and in his seventy- 
eighth year, was taken violently ill. On the 
28th of that month he died, in full possession 
of all his faculties. 

As will be seen, the portrait of this distin- 
guished man, whose name must forever be in- 
separably connected with our Great River, 
was copied from a drawing made as he lay in 
his coffin. It is undoubtedly a faithful por- 
traiture, and we are indebted for it, as well as 
for that of La Salle, to Dr. Neilson, Deputy 
Surgeon-General of Canada, a ripe scholar, a 
gallant officer, an accomplished historian and 
archaeologist, and a true gentleman. [See his 
biographical sketch, p. 201.] J. a. h. 



^Ov^ 



j^ 



POETIC ASSOCIATIONS OF THE THOUSAND ISLANDS. 



CANADIAN BOAT SONGS. 



tV^AOST early travellers speak of the songs 
l^^l with which the Canadian voyageurs 
were accustomed to beguile their labors at the 
oar, and of the impressions they left upon 
the memory. These are now entirely unknown 
upon this part of the St. Lawrence, but are 
still heard upon the upper waters of the 
Ottawa, and in the regions not yet invaded 
by the power of steam. 

These souvenirs of travel belong to a period 
in society that appears to be passing away, 
and like the popular songs of all countries, 
that perpetuate their historical legends and 
the traditions of ancestors, they are unknown 
in cities, and are found only in rural life. In 
this instance, they may be often traced back 
to an European origin, and are of the kind 
that tend to keep alive the poetic associations 
of a gay and happy peasantry, rather than the 
historical memories of a great and powerful 
people. In fact there appear to be very 
little sense, much less a connection of narra- 
tive, in any of these popular songs of these 
people, and the most that can be said of many 
of them is, that they were a jolly string of 
words without rhyme or sense, with frequent 
repetitions, and a joyous refrain. 

In their incoherent stanzas and their repeti- 
tions, they resembled in some respects the slave- 
songs of the south before the late war, al- 
though wholly devoid of that religious senti- 
ment which formed a feature in many of the 
social songs of the slaves. 

Some years since, Mr. Ernst Gagnon, of Que- 
bec, prepared a collection of these Canadian 
songs. It contains only those most commonly 
known, for according to this author, " ten 



large volumes would scarcely contain them." 
He further remarks, that as a general thing 
there is nothing indelicate or wanton in these 
popular melodies, and that even in some of 
this description that can be traced back to 
French origin, the objectionable features have 
been dropped. In other cases, the change in 
these airs has been so great that their origin 
can scarcely be traced back beyond the period 
of emigration, and in others they are unmis- 
takably and entirely Canadian. 

We will limit our notice of these songs to 
two or three of the most popular and well- 
known, and of these the one first given is 
altogether the most important : 

" A La Claire Fontaine." 

Says Mr. Gagnon: — " From the little seven- 
year-old child to the gray-haired old man, 
every body in Canada knows this song. 
There is no French Canadian song that in 
this respect will compare with it, although 
the melody is very primitive, and it has little 
to interest the musician, beyond its great 
popularity." 

It is often sung to a dancing tune, and is 
even brought into the fantasies of a concert. 
It is known in France, and is said to be of 
Norman origin, although M. Marmier thinks 
it came from La Franche Comte, and M. 
Rathery thinks it was brought from Bretagne, 
under the reign of Louis XIV. In France 
it has nearly the same words, but with this 
difference — that the French song expresses 
the sorrow of a young girl at the loss of her 
friend Pierre, while the Canadian lad wastes 
his regrets upon the rose that his mistress re- 



2l6 



A SOUVENIR OF THE ST. LAWRENCE RIVER. 



jected. The air as sung in France is aliogetiier 
different. Some years since this song in its 
Canadian dress was brought out in all the 
principal theatres of Paris with immense suc- 
cess. This led to a distressing burlesque of 
" La Claire Fontaine, as they sing it in Paris." 

On the occasion of the visit of the Prince of 
Wales to America in i860, a little incident oc- 
curred on board the "Hero," on the last 
evening before the landing at Quebec, that 
brought this song and its air into notice upon 
a much wider field than before. Several 
prominent Canadians had come on board, and 
as the evening wore away, Mr. Cartier, a high 
official in the Colonial government, stepped 
forward, and began to sing this song in a clear 
and melodious voice. 

The chorus was easily picked up by the 
listners, and after once hearing it, a few voices 
joined in — at first in subdued and gentle 
murmur, but at each return more clear and 
strong, until at the end, the whole party were 
in full accord, and singing with enthusiasm 
the oft-repeated declaration — 

" II ya longtepas que je t'aime, 
Jamais je ne t' oublerai." 

From this time onward till the end of his 
journey in America, this simple melody became 
the favorite piece, or was brought in as an ac- 
companiment to other music, at receptions 
and parties, and in short, upon all occasions 
wherever music was in order, and for this 
reason it is now better known outside of 
Canada than all the rest of French-Canadian 
songs put together. 

The following not-very-literal English trans- 
lation of this chanson, has in one sense more 
poetic merit than the original, inasmuch as it has 
a rhyme, to which the French does not pretend. 

As by the crystal fount I strayed, 
On which the dancing moonbeams played, 
The water seemed so clear and bright, 
I bathed myself in its delifrht ; 

I loved thee from the hour we met, 
And never can that love forget. 

The water seemed so clear and bright, 
I bathed myself in its delight; 
The nightingale above my head. 
As sweet a stream of music shed, 
I loved thee, etc. 



The nightingale above my head. 
As sweet a stream of music shed, 
Sing, nightingale, thy heart is glad. 
But I could weep, for mine is sad ! 
I loved thee, etc. 

Sing, nightingale, thy heart is glad, 
But I could weep, for mine is sad ! 
For I have lost my lady fair. 
And she has left me to despair ! 
I loved thee, etc. 

For I have lost my lady fair, 
And she has left me to despair. 
For that I gave not, when she spoke. 
The rose that from its tree I broke. 
I loved thee, etc. 

For that I gave not, when she spoke. 
The rose that from its tree I broke, 
I wish the rose were on its tree. 
And my beloved again with me. 
I loved thee, etc. 

I wish the rose were on its tree. 
And my beloved again with me, 
Or that the tree itself were cast 
Into the sea, before this passed. 
I loved thee, etc 

Of the above chanson, Marmier observes'. 
"As you notice, there is neither verse nor 
rhyme, nor anything else besides an outland- 
ish measure of syllables ; * * * * Yet 
these rude couplets, sung in the rudest of 
melodies, have in them an indescribable mel- 
ancholy that penetrates the soul." 

An English writer who published his observ- 
ations in 1864, gives one of these songs, pre- 
faced with the following descriptive account 
of its execution: 

" The French Canadian boatmen seem to 
be a happy devil-may care sort of fellows, who 
did not allow the thought for to-morrow to 
interfere in any way with the enjoyment of 
to-day. They sing in concert very plaintively; 
and some of their favorite ballads are highly 
pathetic. One day I was prevailed upon by 
a friend to take an excursion in a canoe, 
manned by half a dozen of these thoughtless 
people. Upon sailing up the St. Lawrence, 
as tney warmed to their work, they com- 
menced singing the following chanson, and so 
prettily was it executed, that the effect was 
most extraordinary: 



POETIC ASSOCIATIONS OF THE THOUSAND ISLANDS- 



2\f 



The following rather free translation has 
been furnished us : 

With hearts as wild 

As joyous child. 
Lived Rhoda of the mountain ; 

Her only wish 

To seek the fish 
In the waters of the fountain. 

Oh, the violet, white and blue ! 

The stream is deep. 

The banks are steep, 
Down in the flood fell she, 

When there rode by 

Right gallantly, 
Three barons of high degree. 

Oh, the violets, white and blue ! 

■' Oh, tell us, fair maid," 

They each one said, 
" Your reward to the venturing knight 

Who shall save your life 

From the water's strife 
By his arm's unflinching might." 

Oh, Ihe violet, white and blue ! 

" Oh ! haste to my side," 

The maiden replied, 
" Nor ask of a recompense now ! 

When safe on land 

Again we stand 
For such matters is time enow," 

Oh, the violet, white and blue I 

But when all free 

Upon the lea 
She found herself once more, 

She would not stay, 

And sped away 
Till she reached her cottage door. 

Oh, the violets, white and blue ! 

Her casement by, 
That maiden shy 
Began so sweet to sing ; 
Her lute and voice. 
Did e'en rejoice. 
The early flowers of spring. 
' Oh. the violet, white and blue I 

But the barons proud 

Then spoke aloud : 
" This is not the boon we desire ; 

Your heart and love. 

My pretty dove. 
Is the free gift we require." 

Oh, the violets, white and blue I 



" Oh, my heart so true. 

Is not for you. 
Nor for any of high degree ; 

I have pledged my truth 

To an honest youth. 
With a beard so comely to see." 

Oh, the violet, white and blue 1 

Tom Moore's Boat Song. — (1804). 

In the years 1803-4, the social favorite and 
graceful writer, Thomas Moore, made a hasty 
tour through the Middle and Northern States 
and Canada. It would appear from his writ- 
ings, and it has been strongly intimated, that 
this visit to America was designed to afford 
capital for satire and song in the interest of 
British prejudice, and under the political agi- 
tations of the day there can be no doubt but 
that this result was in some degree realized. 

But whatever may have been the animus or 
the effect of his' writings, we may well afford^ 
after this lapse of time, to forgive him, since 
he has left us some verses that throw a charn» 
over the places he described, and impart an 
interest, due to the smoothness of their mea- 
sure and the poetic sentiirients which they 
embody. His lyrics, entitled " The Lake of 
the Dismal Swamp," and " The Canadian 
Boat Song," are of this number. Moore was, 
born in 1779, and when he passed this way, 
in 1804, was therefore about twenty-five years 
of age. He had already gained popular noto- 
riety by his writings ; and the extraordinary 
attentions paid to him, especially among En- 
glish officials in Canada and elsewhere, gave a. 
prominence to his presence wherever he trav- 
elled. In a letter to his mother, written soon 
after his passage dov.'n the St. Lawrence from 
Niagara in a sailing vessel, in August, 1804, 
he shows how exceedingly flattering to his 
vanity these attentions were, making him at 
once satisfied with himself and with all the 
rest of mankind. He says : 

" In my passage across Lake Ontario, I met with 
the same politeness which has been so gratifying, 
and, indeed, convenient to me, all along my route. 
The captain refused to take what I know is always 
given, and begged me to consider all my friends as 
included in the compliment, which a line from me 
would at any time entitle them to. Even a poor 
watch-maker at Niagara, who did a very necessary- 



2l8 



A SOUVENIR OF THE ST. LAWRENCE RIVER. 



and difficult job for me, insisted I should not think 
of paying him, but accept it as the only mark of re- 
spect he could pay one he had heard so much of, 
but never expected to meet with. This is the very 
nectar of life, and I hope, I trust, it is not vanity to 
which the cordial owes all its sweetness. No; it 
gives me a feeling towards all mankind, which I am 
convinced is not unamiable; the impulse which be- 
gins with self, spreads a circle instantaneously round 
it, which includes all the sociabilities and benevo- 
lences of the heart." 

As to the circumstances under which the 
Boat Song was written, these can best be 
learned from his own pen. In a note appended 
to the full edition of his writings, we find the 
following account : 

" I wrote these words to an air which our boatmen 
sung to us frequently. The wind was so unfavor- 
able that they were obliged to row all the way, and 
we were five days in descending the river from King- 
ston to Montreal, exposed to an intense sun during 
the day, and at night forced to take shelter from the 
dews in any miserable huts upon the banks that 
would receive us. But the magnificent scenery of 
the St. Lawrence repays all these difficulties. Our 
voyageurs had good voices, and sang perfectly in 
tune together. The original words of the air, to 
which I adapted these stanzas, appeared to be a 
long, incoherent story, of which I could understand 
but little from the barbarous pronunciation of the 
Canadians. 

" The stanzas are supposed to be sung by those 
voyageurs who go to the Grand Portage by the 
Utawas river." 

Et Regimen Cantus Hortatur. — Quintillian. 

Faintly, as tolls the evening chime, 

Our voices keep tune, and our oars keep time; 

Soon as the woods on shore look dim 

We'll sing at St. Ann's our parting hymn. 

Row, brothers, row, the stream runs fast. 
The rapids are near, and the daylight's past. 

Why should we yet our sail unfurl ? 

There is not a breath the blue wave to curl I 

But when the wind blows off the shore, 

Oh ! sweetly we'll rest on our weary oar. 

Blow, breezes, blow, the stream runs fast. 
The rapids are near, and the daylight's past. 

Utawa's tide ! this trembling moon 

Shall see us fioat over the surges soon. 

Saint of this green isle ! hear our prayer, 

Oh ! grant us cool heavens and favoring air. 
Blow, breezes, blow, the stream runs fast. 
The rapids are near, and the daylight's past. 



We have met with two translations of 
Moore's Boat Song into French, but neither 
of them are of much merit. 

Besides these Boat Songs, the islands pre- 
sent many poetic associations that give to 
them peculiar interest. The late Caleb Lyon, 
of Lyonsdale, many years since, published a 
poem somewhat after the style of Byron's 
" Isles of Greece," that has been so often re- 
produced that we deem it proper not to in- 
clude it in this volume. 

The religious meetings that have been held 
upon Wellesley Island have given rise to some 
poetic reminiscences of peculiar interest, es- 
pecially those relating to Mr. Philip B. Bliss, 
whose participation in the Sunday-School Par- 
liament, in 1876, was brought sadly to mind 
by the railroad casualty that, before the next 
year, ended his life at Ashtabula, Ohio. This 
event has been made the subject of memorial 
verses by Miss Winslow, of Brooklyn. The 
following are the opening stanzas of this 
poem: 

Last year he stood amongst us all, 

Acknowledged King of Song, 
Last year we heard his deep tones fall 

The river side along; 
We saw his reverend mien, we knew 

His spirit true and bold. 
But of our singer's inner life 

The half was never told. 

We heard the story, as it flew 

On the western wires along. 
With bated breath we heard it true, 

God took our King of Song ; 
We read of fiery chariot wheels, 

Of wintry waters cold. 
But angels saw the agony- 

The half was never told. 

The " Mille Iles " of Cremizie, the 
Canadian Poet.* 

This poem extends through more than fifty 
stanzas, in which the author lets his fancy 

* Joseph Octave Crfemazie, a native of Lower 
Canada, was gifted with a fine poetic talent, and pro- 
duced several pieces that have been greatly admired 
for the elegance of their style, and the highly poetic 
sentiments which they express. 

M. Cremazie was a merchant at Quebec, but prov- 
ing unsuccessful in business, he went from Canada 



GEOLOGY OF THE THOUSAND ISLANDS. 



219 



dwell upon what he would do, were he a swal- 
low. He would fly to where the snowflocks 
fall, and make the wildest places echo to his 
song. He would visit Spain, where the almond 
blooms; the gilded dome of Alcazar, and the 
Royal Palace where the Caliph Omar reigned; 
Cordova, and Old Castile; Leon, with its 
brazen gates, and Seville; the Escurial and 
the Alhambra, and river banks fragrant with 
opening flowers. He would view the city of 
Venice, and the Lions of St. Mark; listen to 
the serenades of an Italian summer evening, 
and, in short, explore on light and rapid wing 
whatever region or place the wild world offers 
— in Europe, in India, or in the land of the 
Nile, that awakens poetic sentiments, displays 
pictures of beauty, or recalls the memory of 
great events. 

Having thus touched, as it were, a thousand 
islands of interest throughout the world, he 
says: 

" But when with floods of light, the balmy spring- 
time comes, with its melodies, its mantle of green 
and its perfumes — its vernal songs with the morning 
sun, and all the freshness of awakening life, I would 
return to my native skies. 

" When Eve plucked death from the Tree of Life, 
and brought tears and sorrow upon earth, Adam 
was driven out into the world to mourn with her, 
and taste from the bitter spring that we drink to- 
day. 

" Then angels on their wings, bore the silent 
eden to the eternal spheres on high, and placed it in 
the heavens — hut in passing through space, they 
dropped along the way, to mark their course, some 
flowers from the Garden Divine. These flowers of 

to Brazil, and from thence to France, and died at 
Havre, January 17, iSyg. 

Mr. Lareau, in his Histoirede la Litterature Cana- 
dienne, in speaking of the style of this poet, saj's : 

"There is something in Cremazie's talent that is 
found only in those of native genius — it is inspira- 
tion. By sudden and passionate flights, he carries 
j'ou into the highest spheres of poetry and thought. 
He adorns his style with coloring the most brilliant, 
and in his hand everything is transformed and ani- 
mated. He invests the most common of events with 
features that elevate and magnify, yet in this exuber- 
ance of coloring, and this wealth of words and ideas, 
he in no degree impairs the simplicity of his subject. 
The poetic thought of his writings is clear and re- 
fined, and his verse is natural, and flows from an 
abundant source." 



changing hues, falling into the great river, became 
the Thousand Isles — the paradise of the St. Law- 
rence. 

" The Thousand Isles ; magnificent necklace of 
diamond and sapphire that those of the ancient 
world would have preferred to the bright gold of 
Ophir ! Sublime and beautiful crown that rests 
upon the ample brow of the St. Lawrence, on her 
throne of the vast lakes that display the tinted rain- 
bow, and return the echoes of thundering Niagara ! 
The Thousand Isles — charming wonder — -oasis on 
the sleeping waves — that which might be thought a 
flower-basket borne by a lover's hand ! In thy pic- 
turesque retreats I find naught but peace and 
happiness, and spend the tranquil days in singing 
the lays of a heart content ! 

■' Not proud Andalusia — nor the banks of Cadiz — 
nor the kingdom of the Moors sparkling like rubies 
— nor the poetic scenes of Florence and Milan — • 
nor Rome with its ancient splendors — nor Naples 
with its volcano — nor that charmed sea where Stam- 
boul lifts its towers — nor the vales of sorrow where the 
fierce Giaours dwell — nor India in its native wealth, 
where Para-Brahma shines, or the seas of verdure 
that Kalidasa celebrate — nor the land of the pyra- 
mids — nor all the treasures of Memphis — nor the 
rapids of the Nile, where we seek and admire Osiris — 
shall ever thy echoes repeat from the notes of this 
lyre which is tuned amid these charming scenes." 

Geology of the Thousand Islands. 

There is much geological interest in the 
rock formations of this part of the St. Law- 
rence, and in the evidences that they present 
as to the changes that the earth's surface has 
undergone since the beginning. For the most 
part, the islands consist of gneiss rock, be- 
longing to tlie Laurentian period, which here 
form a connecting link between the vast Pri- 
mary Region, so called, of Upper Canada, 
and an extensive district of the same in 
Northern New York. This gneiss is gener- 
ally obscurely stratified, but with much con- 
fusion in the lines of original deposit, as if 
they had been softened by heat and distorted 
by pressure, and the stratification, such as it 
is, is often highly inclined. The rock is 
composed largely of a reddish feldspar, with 
variable proportions of quartz and horn- 
blende, and occasional particles of magnetic 
iron ore. In some places on the New York 
side it is found to contain dykes of trap and 
greenstone, that ramify into thin veins, as if 



220 



A SOUVENIR. OF THE ST. LAWRENCE RIVER. 



injected under great pressure, and in a per- 
fectly liquid form. It also contains, in Jeffer- 
son and St. Lawrence counties, most interest- 
ing crystalline mineral forms, in great variety 
and in Rossie, lead vvas formerly mined in this 
rock to a large amount. 

Upon one of the Thousand Islands oppo- 
site Gananoque, the gneiss rock is quarried 
for cemetery monuments, which are sent to 
Montreal for polishing, and are thought by 
many to be as beautiful as the red Scotch 
granite for this use. The rock is there also 
quarried for paving blocks, and other uses. 

At Gananoque, and at various places among 
the islands, the Potsdam sandstone occurs in 
thick masses, rising into cliffs fifty feet or 
more above the river, and affording a fine 
material for building, being easily worked 
when freshly quarried, and hardening upon 
exposure to the air. A little back from that 
town, gneiss forms the principal rock, rising 
in naked ridges, with intervening plains that 
indicate the presence of level strata of lime- 
stone or sandstone beneath. In this region, 
white crystalline limestone, steatite and vari- 
ous other minerals occur. 

Before reaching Brockville, and for a long 
distance below, calciferous sandstone and the 
older limestones constitute the only rock in 
situ, and afford excellent quarries of building 
stone. These strata are for the most part 
level, and the very flat region in Jefferson 
county, lying a little back from the river, and 
extending several miles inland, is underlaid 
by this rock. It contains, in many places, 
the organic remains of lower forms of animal 
and vegetable life, that sometimes stand out 
in fine relief upon weathered surfaces of the 
rock. 

At Kingston, and at various points upon 
both shores, and upon Carlton, Wolfe. Howe, 
Grindstone and other islands, the Birds'-eye 
and Black River limestones occur in nearly 
horizontal strata, and in some places are seen 
resting directly upon the gpeiss, which comes 
to the surface, here and there, and often rises 
to a greater elevation than the adjacent lime- 
stone. It would appear that at these places 
an island existed at the time when the sand- 



stones, elsewhere so abundant, were being de- 
posited, and that the limestones were formed 
directly over the gneiss. This limestone is 
largely used for building purposes, at Kings- 
ton and elsewhere, and it makes excellent 
lime. From the lower and impure strata of 
this rock, water-lime, or hydraulic cement, 
was formerly made in Jefferson county. 
These limestones at various places contain 
fossil corals, sponges, shells, and other or- 
ganic remains peculiar to the older Silurian 
period. The Black River limestone, in 
Watertown, Brownville, and other places, has 
extensive caves, worn by currents of water in 
former times. These have been explored to 
considerable distances, and appear to have 
been formed by the widening of natural 
fissures in the rock. Their section is more or 
less oval in form, sometimes wider than high, 
'and nearly uniting along the line of the fissure, 
above and below. 

The broken region, of which the Thousand 
Islands are a part, affords on either side of 
the river, in various places, a number of pic- 
turesque lakes, and within a distance of 
twenty miles in Jefferson county, there are ex- 
tensive mines of red hematite, that have been 
wrought for more than fifty years, supplying 
several iron furnaces in their vicinity, and a 
large amount of ore for exportation to other 
points. Geologically, these iron ores occur in 
thick beds along the junction of the gneiss 
and the older fossiliferous formations, and 
they seem to extend downward to an unlim- 
ited extent. 

In speaking of the Thousand Islands as a 
field for geological study, a writer, who has 
taken a great interest in this subject, says : 

"One of the finest River Archipelagoes on the 
globe, is this of the St. Lawrence. Indeed, it is 
almost the only one that has such a vast number of 
islets, all of rocky formation; high, healthy, wooded, 
without muddy or marshy shores; small enough for 
inexhaustible variety deep, navigable channels 
everywhere, and above all, the very crown and glory 
of the picturesque. * * * 'fhe location is one of 
the very best for geological study. The Laurentian 
system is reckoned the oldest exposure, or among 
the oldest, on the globe. The granite is largely com- 
posed of feldspar, and so differs widely from the 



GEOLOGY OF THE THOUSAND ISLANDS. 



221 



famous granites of New England, in which horn- 
blende lorms so large an element, and which are 
nearly a true syenite. The Potsdam sandstone here 
lies directly upon the granite. Both show wonder- 
fully the erosion of waves by which the great inland 
sea, of ancient geological ages, wore down this par- 
tial outlet to the sea. Both show, also, the grinding 
and planing action of the glacial drift, which here 
wrought with enormous power. There are drift 
striae or grooves here, cut into this hard granite, some 
of them showing for several rods in length, straight 
as a line, and as wide and deep as half a hogshead 
divided letn'iiiwise of the staves. 

"A block of granite, as large as a small house, 
held fast in the under surface of a moving sheet of 
ice, as a glazier's diamond in its steel handle; another 
sheet of ice, hundreds of feet thick and thousands of 
miles wide, and creeping onward with a slow but 
irresistible movement — what a glass-cutter that! 
And when that whole sheet of ice is thiclcly studded 
on its under side with such blocks, great and small, 
we can get a conception of what an enormous rasp 
the hand of Omnipotence wielded in planing and 
polishing all the upper surfaces, especially the 
northern, western, and north-western exposures of 
these mighty rocks. The tooth-marks of this rasp 
are the glacial striae of geologists, and this is an excel- 
lent place to study them. 

" For half a mile, fronting on Eel bay, there is an 
almost continuous frontage of the glacier-planed 
rocks. At its western end, this rocky ridge breaks 
down abruptly in lofty precipices called the ' Pali- 
sades,' with a deep, navigable strait of the river, 
•called the ' Narrows.' Here is an admirable place to 
study the cleavage and fracture of these rocks, and 
the whole is one of the finest scenic views of the 
Great River." 

An anonymous writer, in a book of Travels 
"dedicated to the Wanderer by one of his 
class," — but known to be John F. Campbell, 
of Islay, had his attention much attracted by 
geological phenomena^ and in noticing glacial 
agencies, remarks as follows concerning this 
part of the St. Lawrence : 

"At the foot of Lake Ontario, at Brockville, a rock 
of gray quartz in the town is so finely polished that 
lines on it were invisible, and almost imperceptible, 
till a heel-ball rubbing brought them out. Their 
main direction is N. 45° East (magnetic), and large 
polished grooves, in which sand-lines occur, are ten 
feet wide. At other spots on the same rock, lines 
point north and have other bearings, but the whole 
shape of the countrj' bears N. E. and S. W. 

" Bevond Brockville, the Thousand Islands of 
Lake Ontario closely resemble groups of low rocks 
off Gottenburgh. The solid rock foundation of 



Canada, up to the level of Lake Ontario, is glaciated. 
It is striated in various directions, but the main lines 
observed aimed fiom Belleisle towards Niagara. 
Upon or near the rock are beds of sand, shells, 
gravel, and clav, with large and well-scratched 
bowlders of foreign origin. Higher than these beds 
of drift are more beds of sand, shells, gravel, clay 
and bowlders as high up as the top of Montreal 
Mountain, and the top of Ni.igara Falls." 

In noticing these phenomena of glacial ac- 
tion, it may be remarked that the whole sur- 
face of the country north and south, and to a 
great distance, is found strewn here and there 
with bowlders, some of them of immense size, 
and in other places are moraines or ridges in 
great abundance. Drift-hills composed of 
sand, gravel and bowlders, sometimes ce- 
mented by clay into " hard pan," are a com- 
mon occurrence. 

Lake Ridges. 

We may in this connection notice the " Lake 
Ridges," so-called, that occur on both sides of 
the lake, and various elevations above its 
present level. These particularly engaged 
the attention of Prof. Charles Lyell, the En- 
glish geologist, who, in his journey in 1842, 
stopped at Toronto to examine them as 
they occur northward from that city. The 
first of the ridges was a mile inlarvd — and 
108 feet above the present level of the lake. 
It arose from thirty to forty feet above the 
level land at its base, and could be traced by 
the eye running a long distance east and west, 
being marked by a narrow belt of fir-wood, 
while above and below, the soil vvas clayey, 
and bore other kinds of timber. 

The second ridge, a mile and a half further 
inland, was 208 feet above the lake at its 
base, as determined by canal and railroad 
surveys, and arose fifty to seventy feet high, 
the ground being flat both above and below, 
and at the foot lay a great number of bowlders, 
which, from their composition, showed that 
they came from the north. Some of these 
bowlders lay on the top of the ridge, but there 
were but few erratic rocks on the soil between 
these ridges. 

Another ride of two miles and a half, in 
a northerly direction, brought him to a third 



222 



A SOUVENIR OF THE ST. LAWRENCE RIVER. 



ridge, five miles from the lake — less conspicu- 
ous than either of the former, being little 
more than a steep slope of ten feet by which 
the higher terrace was reached, only eighty 
feet above the base of the second ridge. Thus 
he went on, passing one ridge after another, 
sometimes deviating several miles from the 
direct course, to fix the continuity of level, 
and observing their general character. He 
saw no less than eleven of these ridges in all, 
some of which might be called cliffs, or the 
abrupt terminations of terraces of clay, which 
cover the silurian rocks of that region to a 
great depth, and belonging to the drift or 
bowlder formation. 

The highest ridge was about 680 feet above 
the lake, the water-shed between Lakes Ontario 
and Simcoe being 762 feet. From the sum- 
mit the slope toward Lake Simcoe descends 
282 feet, and along down this, several ridges 
were found, showing that water had formerly 
flowed to a higher level than the present. 

Mr. Lyell remarks that he had never before 
observed so striking an example of banks, ter- 
races, and accumulations of stratified gravel, 
sand and clay, maintaining over wide areas so 
perfect a horizontality as in this district north 
of Toronto. He remarks that the hypothesis 
of the successive breaking down of barriers 
of an ancient lake or fresh-water ocean has 
now been generally abandoned, from the im- 
possibility of conceiving here, as in the west 
of Scotland, as to where lands capable of 
damming up the waters to such height could 
have been situated, or how, if they have ex- 
isted, they could have disappeared, while the 
levels of the ancient beaches remained undis- 
turbed. He, therefore, inclines to the belief 
that they were the margin of the ancient sea, 
which has changed level from the upheavals 
of the continent. This must have been inter- 
mittent; so that pauses occurred, during which 
the coast-line remained stationary for centu- 
ries, and in which the waves would have 
time to cut cliffs, or throw up beaches, or 
throw down littoral deposits and sand-banks 
near the shore. 

In support of this theory, he cites the ex- 
ample of Scandinavia, which has been slowly, 



yet perceptibly rising from the sea within the 
historic period, at the rate of two or three 
feet a century. We know too little of the 
laws that govern these subterranean move- 
ments, to deny the possibility of such inter- 
mittent changes in the level of the sea. 

While the cliff margins might have been the 
abrupt shore in an extremely ancient period, 
the bars of sand on the highest levels may 
have been formed on the inland margin of 
shallow waters, at some distance from deep 
waters, as may be seen in course of formation 
in some places at the present time. 

Depth of the St. Lawrence. — Tides in 
THE Lakes. 

The soundings in the river, among the 
islands, indicate a great irregularity of depth, 
the bottom being generally rocky, and quite 
as diversified as the parts that rise above the 
surface. The greatest depth is 120 feet, but 
the usual soundings are from thirty to sixty 
feet. As a general rule, the navigation among 
the islands is entirely safe to vessels of the 
size usually employed upon these waters, and 
all the dangerous rocks and reefs have their 
positions marked. 

The level of the river differs one year with 
another, the extreme range being about seven 
feet. These changes are not the immediate 
effects of the excessive rains, such as cause 
floods in other rivers, but appear to be occa- 
sioned by the different quantities of rain fall- 
ing, in some years more than in others, and 
which finds its way down months afterward. 
A series of several years of high water, and 
others of low water, are known to occur. 
The level of the river is also affected by 
strong prevailing winds, blowing up or down 
the lake, and several instances of rapid fall; 
followed by a returning wave of extraordinary 
height, have been reported. Some have sup- 
posed these sudden changes of level to be 
caused by earthquake- shocks, but a more 
probable theory appears to be that they are 
occasioned by the passage of a water-spout, 
or a tornado at a distant point. There is 
also found to be a slight, but well-marked tide 
in the lakes, depending upon lunar changes. 



BOUNDARIES OF THE THOUSAND ISLANDS. 



223 



like those upon the ocean, capable of the 
same prediction, and governed by the same 
laws. This fact has been proved by long- 
continued, self-recording observations. It 
may often be disguised by oscillation in the 
level occasioned by the winds. It was ob- 
served by Charlevoix, in 1721, that the level 
of the lake changed several times in a day, 
as may be seen anywhere along the shore, 
especially upon a gently-sloping beach. This 
is probably due chiefly to the action of the 
winds. 

Boundary Lines Between the Two 
Governments. 

In French colonial times, there was no 
boundary acknowledged by both governments, 
as existing between the French and English 
settlements. Each party claimed far beyond 
the point allowed by the other, and the en- 
croachments of the former upon Lake Cham- 
plain and in the west are well known to have 
led to the war that ended in 1760, in the 
establishment of English authority over the 
whole. 

The province of Quebec, as created by 
royal proclamation, was bounded on the 
south, from the Connecticut to the St. Law- 
rence rivers, by the line of 45° north latitude, 
and south-westward by a line running from 
the point where this line intersected the St. 
Lawrence to the south end of Lake Nipessing. 
A survey of the line of 45° was begun in 1772 
by John Collins, on the part of Quebec, and 
Thomas Vallentine, on the part of New York, 
but the latter having died, Claude Joseph 
Sauthier was appointed in his place, and the 
work was completed October 20, 1774. 

In the treaty of 1783, the line of the river 
and lakes was adopted as the boundary west- 
ward from St. Regis, but no surveys of this 
part were undertaken until about thirty-five 
years afterwards. The military posts on the 
American side of the boundary were held by 
the British for the purpose of protecting the 
claims of British subjects until definitely 
relinquished under the Jay treaty, signed No- 
vember 19, 1794, under which it was agreed 
that they should be given up on or before 



June I, 1796. In the meantime, the discus- 
sion as to boundaries continued, and Lieuten- 
ant-Governor J. G. Simcoe, of Upper Canada, 
was particularly strenuous in insisting upon 
an aggressive advance of the frontier, that 
should secure to British interests in the inte- 
rior the magnificent empire which the French 
had endeavored to establish. He would have 
had Niagara the seat of government of this 
English America, and had his first concessions 
been allowed, the western boundary of the 
United States would have been the Genesee 
river, and a line extending from its head- 
waters to the sources of the Ohio, and thence 
southward, along the Alleghenies to the Gulf 
coast. 

When this could not be secured, he pro- 
posed a line from Presque Isle [Erie, Pa.] to 
Pittsburgh ; then the Cuyahoga, and, as a last 
extremity, the Miami river. Early in 1792, in 
a long letter to the home government, he 
pointed out the great advantages that would 
result to Canada from the adoption of a line 
that should run from Lake Ontario across the 
country to the southern end of Lake Cham- 
plain, including the disputed boundaries upon 
that lake. Until the last moment, he had 
clung to the hope of attaching Vermont to 
Canada, and the correspondence of that 
period shows that an expectation of this 
result had been encouraged by the turbulent 
leaders in that State as an alternative pre- 
ferred to submission to the authority of either 
of the claiming States. He adds : 

"I should think Oswego, and I question whether 
Niagara would not be a cheap sacrifice for such a 
limit, which would be strictly defensive on oui- part, 
and calculated to prevent future disagreements. I 
have heard that Carlton Island, the most important 
post on Lake Ontario, is on the British side of the 
line as the better channel is between that and the 
southern shore." 

Again, in writing to the Rt. Hon. Henry 
Dundas, November 4, 1792, he says: "I beg 
to send a map of the river St. Lawrence, that 
in case of a treaty being entered into with the 
United States, it may plainly appear of what 
consequence it is to render it effectual and 
permanent, that the British boundary should 
enclose the islands of the St. Lawrence." 



224 



A SOUVENIR OF THE ST. LAWRENCE RIVER. 



Under the treaty of Ghent, which ended 
the war of 1812-15, Peter B. Porter was ap- 
pointed on the part of the United States, and 
Andrew Barclay on the part of Great Britain, 
as commissioners to run and mark the line. 
The survey was begun in 1817, and iheir re- 
port was signed June 18, 1822, subject to rati- 
fication by their respective governments. Their 
operations were conducted with much pre- 
cision, and the details were reduced to maps 
that have never been published. Copies of 
these are preserved in the offices of record of 
the countries concerned. 

While the boundary survey was in progress, 
Col. Samuel Hawkins, the agent of the Ameri- 
can commission, gave a fete champetre upon 
one of the lower islands, to which the mem- 
bers of the commission on both sides were in- 
vited. The incident is described by Mr. 
Darby, who says: 

" The day was even on the St. Lawrence uncom- 
monly fine, and amid the groves of aspen, wild- 
cherry, and linden trees, the scene seemed more 
than earthly. Mrs. Hawkins presided, and in the 
bowers of the St. Lawrence recalled the most pol- 
ished manners of civilized society in the crowded 
•city. At the close of evening Major Joseph Dela- 
field and myself walked over the island, and in 
full view of the objects which excited our feelings, 
concluded that no spot on the globe could unite in 
so small a space more to please, to amuse, and 
gratif}' the fanc)'." 

The earlier surveys between the St. Law- 
rence and Connecticut rivers being mide with- 
out precision, were found in 18 18 to be almost 
everywhere upon a line too far north. At 
St. Regis the departure from the true latitude 
of 45° was found to be 1,375 feet; at the 
French Mills [Fort Covington I it was 154 
feet; at Chateauguy river, 975 feet, and at 
Rouse's Point, 4,576 feet. 

The government of the United States had 
begun to erect a fort on Lake Champlain. near 
what was the supposed boundary, soon after 
the war of 1812-15, and this was wholly car- 
ried over into Canada, by the survey of 1S18. 
It had been christened " Fort Montgomery," 
but now in common parlance was called " Fort 
Blunder." The Americans being unable, and 
the Canadians unwilling to protect the prop- 



erty, it became the prey of whoever chose to 
plunder it of materials, as needed for build- 
ing purposes. Finally by the surveys of 
1842, the old line of 1774 was taken as a com- 
promise, and the site being thus restored to 
the possession of the United States, work was 
resumed and carried, we believe, to comple- 
tion under the original name. 

In the surveys made under the Webster- 
Ashburton treaty of 1842, J. B. Bucknall Est- 
court, lieutenant-colonel, was appointed by 
the government of Great Britain, and Albert 
Smith by that of the United States. They 
confirmed the line in the river, as it had been 
located under the treaty of Ghent, and the 
old line marked by Vallentine and Collins be- 
tween the St. Lawrence and Lake Champlain. 
They were able to follow this line by the 
marks on the trees, still visible, or found by 
cutting into them; but where these could not 
be found, or where clearings had been made, 
straight lines were run between these old 
landmarks, and iron monuments were set at 
every angle of deflection, and at the crossing 
of rivers, lakes and roads. The boundary 
line is, therefore, not on the true parallel of 
45°, nor in the middle of the channel, 
but it is a conventional line, agreed upon by 
both governments, and accurately defined by 
monuments and records. 

The larger islands in the St. Lawrence, be- 
low Ogdensburg, had long been settled under 
St. Regis Indian titles, and were occupied at 
the time of the survey by settlers, who, up to 
that time, had been regarded as British sub- 
jects. 

Some forty years afterwards, the persons 
who had sustained losses by this transfer ap- 
plied to the State of New York for compensa- 
tion, and their claims became the subject of 
investigation and of legislative action for their 
relief. 

Hydrographical and Topographical 
Surveys. 

BRITISH SURVEYS. 

The first surveys of Lakes Ontario and Erie 
were made in the summer of 1789, under the 
direction of Mr. Niff, an engineer. They 



LIGHT-HOUSES OF THE THOUSAND ISLANDS. 



225 



only embraced the south shore of Lake On- 
tario, from Carleton Island to Niagara, and 
the south shore of Lake Erie, from its eastern 
end to Detroit. 

The engineer's instructions required him, in 
addition to the soundings, to note the loca- 
tions proper for ship-building, the quality of 
land for settlement, and the kind of timber 
along the shores. It will be remembered that 
the whole of this region, now within the 
States, was then still held by the British mili- 
tary authorities, and it may be inferred from 
the above instructions that they were looking 
forward to a time when it should be perma- 
nently under their control. 

Soon after the war of 1812-15, a survey of 
the eastern end of Lake Ontario and of the 
river St. Lawrence, as far down as the Gallop 
Rapids, was made by Capt. W. F. W. Owen, 
of the Royal Navy, with soundings, a definite 
delineation of the shores and islands, and some 
topographical details concerning the adjacent 
parts. Thi. survey was completed in 1818, 
and published by the Hydrographical Office 
of the Admiralty in 1828, forming a series of 
five charts. These were re-engraved, with 
corrections, in 186 1, and are found in the col- 
lections known as the " Bayfield Charts," 
which in all embrace an extensive series of 
lake surveys. 

An elaborate survey of the region around 
Kingston, including the adjacent islands, upon 
a large scale, and showing the contour of 
surface and details of topography, with special 
reference to its military defences, was pre- 
pared a few years since, and a limited edition 
printed. 

United States Lake Surveys. 

For many years, the survey of the northern 
and northwestern lakes has been in course of 
execution by the corps of engineers of the war 
department. These trigometrical and hydro- 
graphical surveys were begun upon Lake On- 
tario and the river St. Lawrence about ten 
years since, and during the years 187 1 to 
1875, were extended along the river from St. 
Regis to the lake, under the direction of 
Brig. -Gen. C. B. Comstock. In 1876, the re- 



sults were published in six charts, which rep- 
resent the part of the river from St. Regis to 
the foot of Wolfe Island, upon a scale of i to 
30,000 or a little more than two miles to an 
inch. They embrace the whole of the river, 
and the topography of both shores, but do not 
indicate the boundary line. A map of the 
eastern end of Lake Ontario, being No. i of a 
separate series, on a scale of i to 80,000, or 
about four-fifths of an inch to a mile, has also 
been published under the same direction. 
These charts all have a great number of sound- 
ings, with indications of the nature of the bot- 
tom, the contour and cultivation of the land 
on the islands and adjacent shores, the place 
of buildings, the lines of roads, and of streets 
in villages, and the character and extent of 
woodlands, with an accuracy of detail that 
proves the excellence of the work. 

Light-Houses. 

A few facts concerning the light-houses 
along the St. Lawrence, may not be without 
interest : 

The American Light-Houses are under 
the care of a "light-house board," in the 
Treasury Department, and the coasts and rivers 
of the country are divided into fifteen districts. 
Of these, the tenth district extends from St. 
Regis to Detroit, with the headquarters of 
the inspector and engineer at Buffalo. Within 
this district, there are sixty-seven light-houses, 
and about 150 buoys (spars and cans), an- 
chored so as to show the course of the chan- 
nel, or the position of dangerous places. 
These spars, etc., are taken up at the close of 
navigation, and replaced after the ice has dis- 
appeared in the spring. By their color and 
numbers, they give information that all navi- 
gators must understand. There are six 
American lights from Ogdensburgto Tibbett's 
Point, inclusive. They have all fixed white 
lights, with lens apparatus of the fourth or 
sixth order. Their names and position are 
as follows: 

Ogdensburgh, on a rocky islet, 190 yards 
from south shore; built in 1834; refitted in 
1870; a square tower, 42 feet high, with 
keeper's dwelling. 



226 



A SOUVENIR OF THE ST. LAWRENCE RIVER. 



Cross-over Island, 20 miles above Ogdens- 
burg; a tower 37 feet high, on keeper's brick 
dwelling; lantern black; built in 1837; refitted 
in 1870. 

Sister Island, 6^ miles further up; a tower 
on keeper's stone dwelling; lantern black, with 
red dome; built in 1870; height, 43 feet. 

Sunken Rock, 6 miles further up, on Bush 
Island, about a quarter of a mile north of 
Alexandria Bay; an octagonal brick tower, 
sheathed with boards; white; height, 31 feet; 
built in 1847; refitted in 1855. 

Rock Island, 7 miles further up; keeper's 
dwelling of brick, white, with a low tower on 
top; dome black; height, 39 feet; built in 1847; 
refitted in 1855. [Shown hereafter.] 

Tibbett's Point, 23 miles above, at the out- 
let of the lake; a stone building connected by 
covered way with a round brick tower 67 feet 
high; white; built in 1827; refitted in 1854. 

The oldest light-house on the lake is that 
near Fort Niagara, built in 1813; the next 
oldest is the one on Gallo Island, built in 
1820. All the lights on the St. Lawrence and 
the Great Lakes are discontinued from 
January ist until the opening of navigation, 
unless otherwise specially directed. 

The Dominion Light-House System is 
under the charge of the Minister of Marine 
and Fisheries, and at the beginning of 1880 
embraced 482 lights, of which Labrador had 
4; Newfoundland 3; Gulf and River of St. 
Lawrence 140 to Montreal — 19 from thence 
to Windmill Point near Prescott, and 10 from 
thence to the lake; Saguenay River 6; Richlieu 
River 5; Lake Memphramagog 6; Ottawa 
River 16; Lake Ontario 29; Lake Simcoe i; 
Lake Erie 15; Detroit River 2; Lake St. Clair 
i; Lake Huron 32; Lake Superior 9; Prince 
Edward Island 29; Cape Breton 'Island 23; 
Nova Scotia (Atlantic Coast) 63; Bay of 
Fundy 48; St. John's River 13; Winnipeg i, 
and British Columbia 7. 

The Canadian lights from Prescott to Lake 
Ontario are as follows : 

Cole Shoal, on a pier five miles west of 
Brockville. 

Grenadier Island (S. W. point), two miles 
below Rockport. 



Lindoe Island, five miles west of Rockport. 

Gananoque Narrows, five miles below Gana- 
noque, on Little Stave Island. 

Jack Straw Shoal, on a pier, north side of 
channel, three miles below Gananoque. 

Spectacle Shoal, on a pier, north side, one 
and a quarter miles west of Gananoque. 

Red Horse Rock, on pier, S. E. side of 
channel, one mile above Spectacle Shoals. 

Burnt Island, at S. E. point of island, north 
side of channel, half mile from Red Horse 
Rock. 

Wolfe Island, on Quebec, or east point of 
island — and Brown's or Knapp's Point, on 
Wolfe Island. 

These are all fixed single lights, with metal- 
lic reflectors, on white square wooden towers, 
and were all built in 1856, except Wolfe 
Island Light in 1861, and that on Brown's 
Point in 1874 

Steam Navigation upon Lake Ontario 
AND THE St. Lawrence. 

The first steamboat that appeared upon 
this lake was the Oneida, in 1817. The boat 
was no feet long, twenty-four wide, and 
eight deep, and measured 237 tons, and had 
a low-pressure cross-head engine, and a 
thirty-four-inch cylinder with four-feet stroke. 
She had two masts, and used sails when the 
wind favored. It was indeed a new era in 
navigation, and from this time Durham boats, 
bateaux, and all the pleasant associations 
which boat songs recall were doomed to dis- 
appear. The new steamboat was indeed a 
wonder in this part of the world, and at every 
landing crowds assembled from far and wide, 
to catch a view of the first wreath of smoke 
from her stack, and to watch and wonder 
as she slowly and majestically came up, and as 
she independently departed on her appointed 
course. Every village that could muster a 
cannon, and every steeple that had a bell, an- 
nounced the event, and joined in the welcome. 
Bonfires and illuminations, the congratulations 
of friends and interchange of hospitalities, 
signalized the event along the whole of the 
route, and the occasion was jotted down as 
one to be long remembered. The round trip 



NAVIGATION AND LUMBERING. 



2?7 



from Ogdensburgh to Lewiston required ten 
days. Fare, fi6 in the cabin, and $8 on 
deck. Master, Captain Mallaby. The One- 
ida ran till 1832, seldom making more than 
five miles an hour. The Frontenac came out 
from Kingston not long after. From this time 
down, the number has been legion; but since 
the completion of the Grand Trunk Railway, 
the importance of steam navigation has greatly 
declined, and several fine steamers were taken 
down the rapids never to return.* 

But whatever the future may determine, as 
regards the lines of business travel, the St. 
Lawrence will always, in its islands and 
its rapids, present an attractive route for tour- 
ists in the summer season. We may never 
again witness a fleet of steamers as magnifi- 
cent as those of the " Ontario and St. Law- 
rence Steamboat Co.," which in its best days 
had eleven such in daily us, — while the Cana- 
dians at the same time had numerous elegant 
steamers fully employed; but under the law 
universally true in business, that the supply 
will be regulated by the demand, we may 
confidently look for abundant comfort and 
elegance in these steamers upon the St. Law- 
rence. The history of steam navigation 
scarcely presents a more remarkable freedom 
from accidents than does that upon this lake 
and river — a circumstance due as well to the 
intelligence of those entrusted with their navi- 
gation, as to the sagacity of owners, who saw 
their true interest to consist in the certainty 
of their engagements, rather than in a reputa- 
tion for extraordinary achievements in amount 
of business, or high rate of speed. 

The fine boats of the Folger Brothers, as 

*A large amount of information concerning steam- 
boats upon the lake will be found in Hough's History 
of St. Lawrence and Franklin Counties (1853), and 
in Haddock's History of Jefferson County (1895). 

For many years Clayton was a noted place for 
steamboat building. Some of the finest steamers 
that ever appeared on these waters came from the 
shipyard of Mr. John Oades, of that place. Of 
these the New York and the Bay State, — truly mag- 
nificent in their appointments, were afterwards em- 
ployed on government service in the South. Other 
lake steamers were used during our late war as 
blockade runners on the Southern coast. 



well as of the Richelieu and Ontario Naviga- 
tion Company, have certainly reduced pre- 
cision to perfection, and accidents to a mini- 
mum. 

Life-saving stations were first established 
by the Government of the United States upon 
Lake Ontario, in the summer of 1854, con- 
sisting originally of Francis's Metallic Life- 
Boats, with fixtures, but without buildings 
to shelter, or crews to manage them. The 
system. has since been perfected as the wants 
of the service required. 

The present lines through the Thousand 
Islands are quite numerous, by far the larger 
part being owned and run by the Folger Bros., 
of Kingston. Their boats are in every way 
superior, and really leave nothing to be desired. 

Lumbering upon the River St. Law- 
rence. 

In several of the descriptions given in the 
preceding pages, allusion is made to wood- 
land scenes and woodmen's labor. One of 
the earliest and most extensive operators in 
this line was William Wells, eldest son of 
Thos. Wells, from Sandown, N. H., who came 
to Canada in 1787, and began lumbering 
operations about 1790, on the island to which 
his name is now often applied. He would 
establish a shanty at a convenient point, and 
with the aid of hired men, work up into staves 
all the timber suitable to his use within con- 
venient reach, and when this was exhausted 
he would remove to another place. He thus 
went over the whole of this island and other 
islands in the river, until the business became 
no longer profitable. His market was Eng- 
land, by way of Quebec, to which place his 
stock was sent upon rafts. At a later period, 
Carlton Island for a short time became an 
important lumber station, and later still, Clay- 
ton, where for many years immense quantities 
of timber, brought down from the upper lakes 
in vessels, were made up into rafts in French 
Creek, and sent down to Quebec. It was 
there again loaded into vessels, for the Euro- 
pean markets. In recent years, the foot of 
Wolfe Island, and Garden Island, opposite to 
Kingston, have been the principal lumbering 



A SOUVENIR OF THE ST. LAWRENCE RIVER. 



stations on the river. The business has for a 
long time depended upon supplies brought 
down from distant points in the West, and is 
now greatly reduced from the exhaustion of 
supplies. 

Autumnal Scenery of the Northern 
States and of Canada. 

We nave noticed in the descriptions of sev- 
eral travellers in the preceding pages an 
allusion to the coloring of the forests of 
this region towards the close of autumn, 
forming, indeed, one of the attractions 
most likely to fix itself in the memory in 
the declining season of the year. This was 
most fully given by the German traveller, Dr. 
Kohl, whose account of the islands will be 
found on preceding pages. We will com- 
mence the description with his arrival at 
Kingston, late on a warm, bright, richly-col- 
ored autumnal afternoon, when the setting sun 
presented a most imposing appearance. There 
was still enough of daylight left to get a fine 
view of the city and its suburbs, and he de- 
parted by steamer for Toronto the same eve- 
ning. He describes the passage as one of 
exquisite beauty, the last glow of twilight 
shedding a glory over the apparently bound- 
less water, which seemed, like the sea, without 
limit. As it grew dark, the waters presented 
the novel spectacle of moving lights near the 
shore, where the fishermen were following 
their business by torchlight ; and, later in the 
night, the heavens were lit up by the aurora 
borealis with unusual splendor. 

It may almost be questioned as to whether, 
amid these shifting scenes of novelty, our 
worthy traveller got time for a moment's re- 
pose, for his description of the midnight 
aurora, with its gleaming pencils of light, its 
corona, and its dazzling arch, passes directly 
into the picture of a morning on the lake, that 
toUows ; 

" But its splendors were far exceeded in beauty by 
the tender tints of the aurora orientalis that after- 
wards showed themselves on the eastern horizon, and 
then filled the whole atmosphere with their light. A 
delicate mist had risen toward sunrise, and the sun 
had made use of this gauzy veil to paint it with the 
loveliest pale tints. I do not wonder that the taste 



for coloring should develop itself in such a land of 
mist, where the palette of nature is provided with 
such a variety of finely graduated hues. The eye is 
sharpened to their differences, while in tropical re- 
gions, where the chief colors appear most strikingly, 
the senses are dazzled. As the sun rose, I remarked 
to my surprise that the redness of the morning dawn 
had not passed from the horizon, as it commonly 
does, but remained hanging as a very decided red 
segment of a circle, and the higher the sun rose, the 
further it stretched, till towards eleven o'clock it oc- 
cupied one-half of the horizon, while the opposite 
side, which was of a light grayish tint, lost ground 
more and more, and at length the sun appeared as a 
radiant focus in the center of an atmosphere of 
light, which, with few variations, passed into red all 
round the horizon. I saw this remarkable phenom- 
enon here for the first time, but afterwards fre- 
quently, and learned that it especially belonged to 
the ' Indian Summer,' and was known under the 
name of 'the pink mist.' " 

A short time after, our traveller, in passing 
northward from Toronto, on the route to 
Lake Simcoe, had occasion to again revert to 
the glories of the autumnal forest, which he 
had already noticed in passing amid the Thou- 
sand Islands. His description has no local 
application, but will faithfully represent the 
impressions of an intelligent observer in the 
deciduous forests of any part of the Northern 
States, and of Canada, in the fading season 
of the year: 

"The trees here still gloried in the rich coloring 
of their leafage, although in Quebec, a fortnight be- 
fore, the vegetation had assumed a bare and wintry 
aspect. The elegant and much-prized maple was 
conspicuous among them, as it mostly is in Canada, 
and its leaves exhibited more shades and gradations 
of golden-yellow and crimson than can be found in 
the best furnished color-box. Even when you walk 
on dark cloudy days in the forest, the trees shed 
around you such gorgeous colors that )'ou might im- 
agine it was bright sunlight. You seem to be walk- 
ing in the midst of some magic sunset of the 
declining year. The leaves of the maple are, too, 
as elegantly cut as they are richly adorned with 
color, and the Canadians pay them the same homage 
as the Irish do their green immortal shamrock. 
They are collected, pressed and preserved; ladies 
select the most beautiful to form natural garlands 
for their ball-dresses. You see in Canada tables 
and other furniture inlaid with bouquets and wreaths 
of varnished maple leaves, and you see an elegant 
steamer with the name Maple Leaf painted in large 
letters on the side. Sometimes the Canadians would 



THE BEAUTIES OF AUTUMN. 



22g 



ask me, in their glorious woods, whether I had ever 
seen anything like them in Europe; and if I an- 
swered that, though their woods were especially 
beautiful, I had elsewhere observed red and yellow 
autumn leaves, they would smile and shake their 
heads, as if they meant to say that a stranger could 
never appreciate the beauties of a Canadian forest 
thus dying in golden flame. I have seen a Swiss, 
born and bred among the Alps, smile just as pity- 
ingly at the enthusiasm of strangers for their moun- 
tains, evidently regarding it as a mere momentary 
flare, and that they only could know how to value 
the charms of aland of mountains. 

" The magnificent coloring of these trees strikes 
you most, I think, when the gilding has only just 
begun, and the green, yellow and scarlet tints are 
mingled with the most delicate transitions. Some- 
times it seems as if Nature were amusing herself 
with these graceful playthings, for you see green 
trees twisted about with garlands of rich red leaves, 
like wreaths of roses, and then again red trees, where 
the wreaths are green. I followed with delight, too, 
the series of changes, from the most brilliant crim- 
son to the darkest claret color, then to a rich brown, 
which passed into the cold pale grey of the winter. 
It seems to me evident that the sun of this climate 
has some quite peculiar power in its beams, and'that 
the faintest tint of the autumn foliage has a pure in- 
tensity of color that you do not see in Europe. 
Possibly you see the climate and character of Can- 
ada mirrored in these autumn leaves, and it is the 
rapid and violent transitions of heat and cold that 
produce these vivid contrasts. 

"The frost that sometimes sets in suddenly after 
a very hot day, is said to be one of the chief painters 
of these American woods. When he does but touch 
the trees they immediately blush rosy red. I was 
warned, therefore, not to regard what I saw this year 
as the ne plus ultra of his artistic efforts, since the 
frost had come this time very gradually. The sum- 
mer heat had lasted unusually long, and the drouth 
had been extraordinary, so that the leaves had be- 
come gradually dry and withered, instead of being 
suddenly struck by the frost while their sap was 
still abundant, a necessary condition, it appears, for 
this brilliant coloring." 

As if quite unable to tear himself from a 
subject that had so thoroughly awakened his 
attention, our keenly observant traveller, after 
describing many other scenes of Indian and 
Pioneer life, presented in his northern jour- 
ney, again recurs to his favorite impressions. 
He had been so often interrupted by imperti- 
nent inquiries, as to who he was, where he 
was going, on what business, where he in- 



tended to buy land, and where he meant to 
settle, that he had devised a ready means of 
getting rid of these annoyances — for when 
he saw one of these inquisitors approaching, 
he at once began a short biographical recita- 
tion, stating where born, his origin, what he 
had come for and what not, and so forth, end- 
ing with the declaration that he did not in- 
tend to settle in the country, nor to buy land. 
As soon as everybody knew who and what he 
was, they cared little more about him, and 
having thus cheaply purchased a truce from 
further inquiry, he could settle down to the 
calm enjoyment of the scenery before him. 
He says : 

" I would gladly give some idea of its beauty, but 
it is often difficult to convey impressions of this 
kind, without falling into repetitions, which, though 
often far from unwelcome in nature, where there are 
always shades of difference, are very apt to be so in 
books. To me, there was a never-ending enjoyment 
in gazing on the coloring of a Canadian forest in its 
autumnal glory, and observing the modifications of 
their colors produced by a greater or less distance. 
From the immediate foreground to the remotest 
point there was a scale of a hundred degrees. The 
trees near at hand were of a full rose or orange hue, 
and every leaf a piece of glittering gold, and yet 
every tree had something that distinguished it from 
all the rest, and although there were only leaves, the 
colors equaled those of a tropical forest in spring, 
when it is covered with blossoms. Farther on, the 
colors were melted together into one general lint of 
bright pink, then a little blue mingled with it, and 
there arose several softest tones of lilac ; sometimes 
according to the conditions of the atmosphere, the 
distant woods appeared of a deep indigo, and then, 
perhaps, would interpose a little island of glowing 
red-gold upon an azure ground, but if your e3'e fol- 
lowed the line of forest to the east, the colors as 
well as the trees shrank together, and a great wood 
of leafy oak, elm and maple would look like a low 
patch of reddish heath." 

The poet Whittier, in describing an autum- 
nal scene, strikingly applicable to this region, 
although intended for another, says : 

Beneath the westward-turning eye 
A thousand wooded islands lie — 
Gems of the waters ! — with each hue 
Of brightness set in ocean's blue. 
Each bears aloft its tuft of trees 

Touched by the pencil of the frost, 
And undulating with the breeze. 



230 



A SOUVENIR OF THE ST. LAWRENCE RIVER. 



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MISS CLARA BARTON, 

President o£ the American Red Cross, now distributing relief 

Armenia. 

/J^ O sufferers from war, famine and catas- 
•^ trophe the name of Miss Clara Barton 
is a familiar one. She was born in Massachu- 
setts in 1830, and in her earlier years was a 
school teacher, afterwards obtaining a situation 
in the Patent office at Washington, which place 
she held when the war broke out. 

Just before the first battle of Bull Run, Miss 
Barton advertised in Massachusetts papers that 
she would receive stores and money for 
wounded soldiers at the front, which she 
would personally distribute. The appeal was 
so liberally answered that she filled a building 
with goods. She went with the army and 
worked night and day nursing, relieving suf- 
fering and distributing supplies throughout 
the war. Through her efforts, thousands of 



graves of the unknown soldier 
dead were discovered and 
marked. Congress recog- 
nized her efforts in this di- 
rection by awarding her 
$15,000. 

After the war. Miss Barton 
lectured 300 nights, for 
which she received $30,000, 
and drew crowded houses 
wherever she spoke. In 1S69 
she went abroad for rest and 
recuperation. The next year 
the Franco-Prussian war 
broke out and she did some 
effectual work among the 
wounded, especially at Stras- 
burg. From Strasburg she 
went to relieve the suffering 
after the fall of the Commune 
at Paris. Her services won 
for her the Prussian order of 
merit, gave her acquaintance 
with the working of the Red 
Cross agencies in Switzer- 
land and Germany, and 
brought her to the notice of 
the Empress Augusta. 

In 1 88 1, after many dis- 
appointments and delays, 
which seem incredible at this 
day, the American National 
Red Cross Association was formally recog- 
nized by Congress, and Miss Barton was 
elected its president. 

The first real relief work of the association was 
done in 1882 when the Mississippi overflowed 
its banks. Having less than f 1,000 in the Red 
Cross treasury, Miss Barton started for the 
scene of the disaster. Before she left Wash- 
ington the wires flashed appeals for aid to be 
sent at once to Clara Barton at Cincinnati. 
Aid poured in from every direction. So gen- 
erous was the response, that more came than 
was needed. Always frugal. Miss Barton put 
by the surplus for the next great disaster, which 
soon followed in the overflow of the Ohio in 
1883, and the Louisiana cyclone of the same 
year. In the following year, the Red Cross 



to tlte sufferers in 



232 



A SOUVENIR OF THE ST. LAWRENCE RIVER. 



again found work in the overflow of both the 
Ohio and Mississippi. 

In 1884, the government having appropria- 
ted $3,000 for the purpose, Miss Barton went 
to Europe, accompanied by Mr. A, S. Solo- 
mons and Hon. Joseph Sheldon, to represent 
the American Red Cross at the international 
conference at Geneva. 

In 1886, the drouth in Texas necessitated 
more work by her agents. When the Charles- 
ton earthquake occurred the same year, Miss 
Barton was in California endeavoring to re- 
gain her health, but she visited the scene and 
gave her aid. 

The terrible Johnstown disaster occurred 
May 30, 1889. After Miss Barton arrived on 
the field, the distribution of clothing was un- 
der the personal supervision and direction of 
the " National Red Cross Headquarters." The 



entire sum expended by the society, at Johns- 
town, was $40,000. 

The Sea Islands hurricane, which occurred 
in 1893, and caused widespread destruction of 
life and property, are still fresh in the recol- 
lection of the public. The population of the 
islands directly affected was about 9,000. The 
fringe of coast which felt the storm was in- 
habited by about 35,000 people, the large ma- 
jority of whom were colored. 

Miss Barton had some experience with the 
negroes of this region in the first months of 
the war, and so knew how to deal with them. 
A rigorous system of economy was adopted 
from the first — a system far more efficacious 
in the end than any lavish system of charity 
could have been. [See article upon The Red 
Cross, page 51.] 




FISHING OFF THE HEAD OF "LITTLE GRENADIER," CANADIAN CHANNEL. 



EARLY RECOLLECTIONS OF ALEXANDRIA BAY. 

BY WILLIAM FAYEL, ESQ., OF ST. LOUIS, MO. 



/SV LEXANDRIA BAY, when I first knew it, 
' » just before the existence of railroads in 
the United States, was a place of small import- 
ance. It was a depot for the back-country 
merchants and new settlers who sent lumber, 
staves and potash, principally for shipment to 
the Quebec market, and returned with dry 
goods, salt, etc, for the village stores. Except 
river transportation, the place was side-tracked 
on the landward side by the most abominable 
roads, almost impassable in the spring and 
fall, so that for years butter and cheese and 
other country produce were under the control 
of contractors, forwarded to Watertovi^n and 
Sackets Harbor, it is true, over better roads, 
but a much longer route. Owing to its iso- 
lated situation, the Bay, which within a few 
years has attained a magical growth and be- 
come the central attraction of the most popu- 
lar summer resort in America, was, at the 
time mentioned, unfrequented by the tide of 
pleasure seekers, except perhaps a few local 
fishermen. The mode of transportation was 
then by stage-coach and canal. The world 
of fashion resorted to Saratoga Springs, the 
Catskill Mountain House, Niagara Falls, and 
some favorite sea-side resorts now seldom 
heard of. The most famous resorts and water- 
ing places were brought into journalistic noto- 
riety by letter writers, some wielding graceful 
pens, as N. P. Willis in the New York Mirror, 
and Willis Gaylord Clark, the " Ollapod " of 
the Knickerbocker Magazine. Some of these 
descriptions were extensively copied, and 
showed the advantages, as one mode of judi- 
cious advertising, in turning the tide of travel 
and posting the public on the charms and 
striking beauties of the places described. 
I first saw Alexandria Bay in 1832, the 



cholera of that year having struck Quebec, 
the earliest outbreak of the dread pestilence 
on the continent, and then following up the 
St. Lawrence, it visited Kingston and the 
large cities, leaving the Bay entirely untouched. 
The village contained about a dozen frame 
dwellings and shops, scattered promiscuously 
among the granite knolls and level grounds, 
wherever a favorable site offered. The only 
store, a red frame structure, owned by John W. 
Fuller, was at the steamboat landing on the 
lower point jutting into the Bay. The only 
tavern, a weather-worn frame structure, at the 
end of the main street, leading to the right on 
entering the village, was kept by Smith. The 
front was marked by a flight of wooden stairs 
that led to the bar-room. This important 
feature, like all country bar-rooms, had the 
upper portion of the bar shielded from out- 
side intrusion by a grating of round wooden 
rods, through which could be seen a row of 
flint-glass decanters, surmounted by heavy 
stoppers of the same material. The upper 
shelf had round glass jars, containing sticks of 
ribbon-colored candy and Jackson balls. 

The edibles consisted of small crackers (two 
for a cent), then in universal use, and 
" cookies," a second cousin of the popular 
ginger-cake. A box of dried herrings was 
also temptingly displayed to satiate the pangs 
of appetite, especially when irrigated by 
draughts of strong liquor. On wooden pegs 
in the proper place were hung yellow slippers 
for the retiring guests at bed-time. Tavern 
customs and the empire of fashion have very 
materially changed since those pristine days. 
The open tavern shed, with a loft for hay and 
oats over head, was located on the Bay at 
the extreme end of the street. Between the 



234 



A SOUVENIR OF THE ST. LAWRENCE RIVER. 



tavern and the store on the water front, was a 
large wooden warehouse in which the goods, 
shipped to country merchants were stored 
until called for. In the open spaces near the 
warehouse immense piles of staves and lumber 
were corded up, awaiting shipment, and con- 
stituted quite a feature in the river commerce 
of the place. 

In my early recollections of the scenery I 
recall with curious interest the intensely sea- 
green color of the waters of the Bay, and the 
beautiful displays of graphic granite sometimes 
seen in the rounded granite knobs. 

The arrival of a steamer at the wharf in 
rear of Fuller's store was always an event 
that enlivened the drowsy quietude of the 
village. A few passengers would usually step 
on shore to ease their sea-legs, but the most 
important personage was the faultlessly-dressed 
clerk of the steamer who stood on the wharf, 
with a lot of invoices in his hand noting down 
or checking the discharge and shipment of 
freight. To the boyish fancy he was an envied 
individual, a stupendous official character, 
through whose deft fingers all business transac- 
tions between the shore and steamer had to be 
transmitted before the boat could leave the 
wharf. Sometimes a glimpse was obtained of 
singular people and outre characters, emi- 
grants from foreign lands, making their way 
towards the illimitable West. At a period 
somewhat later I saw twenty or thirty young 
French Canadians land from an up-bound 
steamer. They were a lusty looking set of 
youths in robust health, hardy visage, well 
developed, athletes in strength and physical 
symmetry of form. They were dressed in fine 
new suits, rather flashy, and wore their boot- 
legs outside up to the knees, bound on top 
with red morocco, with fluttering tassels dang- 
ling therefrom. These adventurous young men 
had left their homes at Chambly, St. Johns 
and Montreal, and were bound for Green Bay, 
thence to the fur-trading town of St. Louis. 
Some thirty years afterwards, while accompany- 
ing the Indian Peace Commissioner among 
the Sioux of the Upper Missouri, I en- 
countered an Indian interpreter, who, as near 
as time and place could be indentified, was 



one of the party seen at Alexandria Bay at the 
period mentioned. This man, like all the 
French Canadian traders and interpreters, had 
an Indian wife and a numerous progeny. Our 
interpreter abandoned his Indian wife and 
married a respectable white girl at North 
Platte — General Sherman and the other com- 
missioners being invited to attend the wedding. 
The relatives of the old squaw came to kill the 
interpreter's horses in revenge for his deser- 
tion of the once attractive and dusky maiden 
of his youthful days. 

Alexandria Bay was slow in coming to the 
front as a fishing resort, owing to the adverse 
causes mentioned. In this respect, for several 
years, Theresa, in the same township, rather 
took the lead. The stream at that then remote 
village abounded in the spring with mullet, 
and throughout the season that king of the 
piscatory tribe, the muscalonge, came up the 
Indian River, to the falls at Theresa, and was 
taken with the spear or trolling spoon. The 
Sixberries had long beaten up the ground, and 
the Indian River with its tributary lakes, be- 
came the paradise of the hunter, trapper and 
fisherman. Theresa, as the headquarters for 
the outfit of boats and fishing tackle, came 
into note, and was made popular by the an- 
nual excursions down the river from that 
point, of Mr. Norris M. Woodruff, of Water- 
town, and his friends, who brought with them 
Loren Soper, an old fisherman acquainted 
with the ground, and then the keeper of the 
United States Arsenal at Watertown. There 
was a fascination amid the scene and haunts 
of nature, in the wild scenery and freedom 
from the public gaze in a jaunt of this kind, 
that a large river, open to all the world, did 
not possess. No man enjoys reading his 
newspaper in the thronged thoroughfares. 

In spite of these little rivalries of neighbor- 
ing fishing resorts, Alexandria Bay, in no 
spirit of jealousy, abided its time. The fame 
of its waters in yielding abundance of pickerel 
and muscalonge to the sportive fishermen, be- 
came extended far and wide. Of the last 
named fish it was reported that a big one, the 
real sockdoger, had been captured by an ama- 
teur sportsman from Syracuse, and that in his 



EARLY RECOLLECTIONS OF ALEXANDRIA BAY. 



23s 



vain glory he had a full-length picture of him- 
self taken by an artist, with the big fish, held 
up by the gills, painted by his side. 

In due time the Bay became the resort of 
some famous men, and it is but repeating a 
twice-told tale to state that among these noted 
characters were Silas Wright and Martin Van 
Buren. Of these two distinguished men, I 
may, in passing, be permitted to mention a 
phase of their personal traits. Old fishermen 
tell of the generosity of Silas Wright, in 
quietly slipping into their hands, on returning 
from a trip, a liberal "tip," while Mr. Van 
Buren, less thoughtful, to put it mildly, never 
exceeded the exact sum stipulated in the con- 
tract by dispensing the expected doucer to his 
boatmen. 

It is probable that political friendship, as 
well as the genial hospitality of the host, 
rather than the fish, drew these great men to 
the Bay. The Waltons stood high in social 
distinction throughout that section. I am 
speaking from boyhood impressions. They 
were the first in a small town, and in the 
neighboring villages were regarded as su- 
perior beings. Their arrival at Theresa on a 
transient visit produced a sensation, among 
the younger people especially. The head of 
this family, Mr. Azariah Walton, I regarded 
as a grand old man, by whom I was always 
treated with kindness and courtesy. At his 
store, I frequently saw his massive figure 
seated behind the counter employed in 
thumping some refractory substance into use 
for trolling spoons. 

The shelves in the rear were garnished with 
lines, hooks, bright brass spoons and other 
fishing tackle. In one corner was seen a for- 
est of fishing poles, some of these being sus- 
pended by wooden supports overhead, like 
the old-time rifle on hooks, in the hunter's 
cabin. In the winter section, skates were 
suspended, showing that a demand for these 
articles could be supplied at all seasons. 

Mr. Walton was collector of customs for 
the port. He never disparaged the duties of 
the office, and spoke with pride of his success 
in checking and finally putting an end to 
smuggling, that formerly prevailed to the 



detriment of the goverment. He once told me 
that the revenue collected from customs in 
the Cape Vincent district, to which he was 
attached, exceeded in amount that collected 
in any other port of the United States, as the 
official figures would verify. He was withal a 
warm political partisan, the leading Democrat 
in that section, and though his mercantile 
partner, John W. Fuller, was a pronounced 
Whig, no disputes on that score seeming to 
disturb their business relations. But to his 
outside political opponents he was not spar- 
ing in his jibes and sarcastic hits at their ex- 
pense. With what unction would the words 
" Whig " and " Whiggery " roll from his 
tongue, in contemptuous tones and in utter 
depreciation of the claims of that young and 
growing party. 

In those anti-Masonic and early Whig days> 
the election was held on three successive days 
in separate precincts. Theresa was then at- 
tached to the town of Alexandria, and when 
the election was held in that precinct, 
Mr. Walton always came up in full force, a 
dreaded opponent, in his withering gibes, to 
the leading Whigs, Squire Nathan M. Flower, 
Anson Ranney and Benjamin Still. The di- 
vision of the town at length gave these good 
men a rest. Amid his multifarous business 
and official duties, Squire Walton found leis- 
ure to court the poetical muse. He com- 
posed campaign songs, which were never 
written out or read ; one of these he recited 
to me, the burden of which extolled in the 
popular rhymes of that day, " The Favorite 
Son of Kinderhook." 

In closing this imperfect sketch of a notable 
man, I desire to add, that although a violent 
partisan, he was a patriotic lover of his coun- 
try. When the Mexican war broke out, he 
everywhere, in and out of season, denounced 
the opposition to President Polk and the war, 
declaring that it was unpatriotic in private 
individuals and bar-room ranters, to question 
the right or wrong of the war, when the honor 
of the country was at stake. 

His eldest son, George Walton, followed in 
the footsteps of his father, as a politician, and 
as his active life, too early cut off by the fell 



236 



A SOUVENIR OF THE ST. LAWRENCE RIVER. 



destroyer, comes within the period under 
consideration, a word may be added. Much 
might be said in praise of this gentleman who 
bore " the mould of beauty and of form," but 
one incident only will be given, illustrative of 
the times, in his connection with " general train- 
ing day," that great event of mustering battal- 
ions and parody on grim war, always looked 
forward to by wondering youths and ginger- 
bread-vendors as a gala day, now gone into 
desuetude, and is only a memory of the past. 
George Walton was the colonel cf a militia 
regiment ; and his brother-in-law, General 
Archibald Fisher, commander of the brigade, 
transferred the general muster, from Antwerp, 
where it assembled from time immemorial, to 
Theresa. Col. Walton, as the ranking officer, 
superintended the customary evolutions, and 
towards evening he headed the perspiring 
troops in their march from the Cooper farm, 
where the muster was held, to the village. 
The militia companies were halted, and on be- 
ing massed in regulation order for dismissal, 
the gallant colonel in a grandiose speech, not 
unmixed with a quiet undercurrent of humor, 
wished the men a safe return to their homes, 
their waiting wives and children, and capped 
the climax of dismissal by designating the 
brigade as " soldiers of the great American 
Army." 

As if to add to the ludicrous character of 
the scene, an auctioneer from the Quaker 
settlement, named Kirkbright, who had been 
vending gingerbread during the day, brought 
forward for sale a menagerie of wild and tame 
sugar animals. Having disposed of the ele- 
phants at a fair valuation, he then held up 
between his thumb and finger a two-cent 
rooster, with red comb and gills, about the 
size of a small ball of yarn. The bids started 
at one cent, with no raise for some time, 
when the auctioneer shouted forth indignantly, 
" Soldiers of the American Army ! How can 
you stand idly by, with arms in your hands, 
and see property thus sacrificed in the market 
place ? " 

Recurring to matters at the Bay, I once, on 
a visit there, met with an enjoyable incident, 
characteristic of the chronic characters that 



one frequently meets with. I was attracted 
by two gentlemen in front of the hotel, who 
appeared hotly engaged in a religious discus- 
sion, — the one a skeptic ; the other, whom I 
took to be a religious enthusiast by the warmth 
with which he supported his side of the argu- 
ment. Gifted in speech, he overwhelmed his 
antagonist with a torrent of excellent advice, 
as well as sound argument. 

The reverend gentleman proved to be the 
Rev. P. C. Headley, the author of a popular 
" Life of the Empress Josephine." He was 
then quite a young-looking man. .He in- 
formed me that he was settled in the ministry 
at Adams, Jefferson county, and was on the 
way to join his brother, Rev. J. T. Headley, 
also a widely-known author on war heroes, for 
a trip through the great Northern woods, 
then, as may be remembered, unvexed by 
the Rev. Adirondack Murray and his fellow 
tourists. Mr. Headley turned out to be a 
most genial companion, full of animal spirits, 
and ready to indulge in boat excursions and 
other pastimes, except playing billiards, then 
a favorite amusement among the frequenters 
of the place. 

A boat party was made up to sail among 
the islands, with Mr. Ed. Tanner, collector of 
the port, in charge. We trolled up the 
streams, and encountering a squall, landed on 
a nameless island. While there, a large sail 
boat, it might be called a yacht, also landed 
on the island, driven in by stress of weather. 
An elderly, sturdy-looking man came on shore 
and looked anxiously around. The new- 
comer proved to be the famous Bill Johnston, 
whose name became linked with the Thousand 
Islands. 

He wore a blouse, a plain-looking old gentle- 
man, with strong features and an expression of 
deterniination about the mouth. Otherwise he 
would be taken for a very ordinary farmer, in 
general appearance. He was rather reticent 
and conversed in a low tone of voice, as is 
usual in men supposed to have some great 
secrets locked up in the breast. He was a 
man just to Mr. Headley's hand, who pumped 
the old gentleman as to the history of the 
islands and his connection with them during 



EARLY RECOLLECTIONS OF ALEXANDRIA BAY. 



217 



the late troubles. Johnston, meantime, had a 
far-away look, his mind reverting to his boat 
and the condition of the weather. After the 
detention of a couple of hours we parted, on a 
lull in the gale. 

Before the extension of telegraph lines, and 
with limited postal connections inland, the 
people of the Bay were behind their neighbors 
in getting the news. But this was not always 
the case, very important news reaching there 
by river in advance of the neighboring villages. 
An instance may be given. About the 12th 
of July, 1850, going with a party to the Bay, 
when arrived within three miles of the place, 
we met old Ezra Cornwall, father of George 
W. Cornwall of Theresa, coming up the road 
on foot, who imparted the intelligence that 
General Taylor, President of the United States, 
was dead. The news was received at the Bay 
by steamer from Oswego, and was unknown^at 
Theresa until obtained from this source. 

My last visit to Alexandria Bay was in 1867, 
when, after the absence of some years, great 
changes in the aspect of the town were visible. 
Two hotels, the renowned Crossmon House, 
widely known, and the St. Lawrence, Hotel, 
kept by Edward Fayel, assisted by his^ sister, 
Mrs. Sophia Spalsbury, were in operation. 
Since then a greater change, amounting to a 
perfect " transformation scene," has super- 
vened, supplementing tjie wonders of natural 
beauty with the improvements suggested by 
unsparing wealth, art and taste. But despite 
all these enchanting improvements, effected by 
man, the great natural features of rocky islands 
and glorious river will stand unaltered till the 
end of time. 

Jonathan Thompson. 

Among the earliest to forsee and urge the 
advantages of the Thousand Islands as a re- 
sort for pleasure seekers, and the estab- 
lishment of a hotel to entertain them, was 
doubtless Jonathan Thompson, of Theresa. 
Thompson was a genial character, quaint in 
speech, or rather of cute sayings, a harmless 
romancer with a brain fertile in projects. He 
was a man past middle age, buoyant in hope as 
a grown-up boy, had seen something of the 



world, and, in fact, among his early expe- 
riences, had " gone out " with the Green 
Mountain Boys in September, 1814. In 
working up his scheme he had visited the 
islands, selected one of the group to erect a 
fishermen's resort upon. But the time had not 
come for the realization of such an enterprise. 
Other more favorable and fortuitous circum- 
stances had to arise before the scheme could 
become practicable. Thompson would have 
made a good second to a man of financial 
ability ; a good chief of a restaurant, and a 
capital entertainer of guests. 

A few years before this time, Thompson 
had pitched upon one of the most romantic 
little lakes, situated between the Indian and 
St. Lawrence rivers, much nearer the first 
named stream, as a home, which he intended 
to improve. It was an expanse of clear, 
limpid water, nestled among wood-crowned 
shores, six miles from any settlement. It had 
lost its Indian name, the lake being on the 
main water route followed by the Canadian 
Indians during the French and Indian War, 
and up to the War of the Revolution, in their 
predatory incursions to the Dutch settlements 
on the Mohawk. In recent times the hulks 
of their abandoned boats could be seen lying 
deep through the clear water on the lake 
bottom. It was known as Lake of the Woods, 
latterly as Thompson's Lake, from the new pro- 
prietor, and was three miles in length north 
and south, and from one mile and a half to 
half a mile in breadth. 

In a spirit of enterprise and unbounded 
hopes that inspired visionary schemes, 
Thompson pre-empted a few acres, near the 
western cove, which a squatter had cleared up 
and abandoned, leaving his deserted log cabin 
among the assets of the place. On obtaining 
possession, his original design was to stock the 
ranch with geese, as his flocks would have 
the unlimited privilege, like himself, of the 
lake. But, owing to a change in domestic 
economy (except among the blanket Indians, 
who still adhered to skins for bed clothing), 
feather beds began to be discarded, and a de- 
mand for feathers consequently ceased. He, 
therefore, was compelled " to feather his 



238 



A SOUVENIR OF THE ST. LAWRENCE RIVER. 



nest " in some other more profitable product. 
Whereupon, like Thoreau, the hermit of Wal- 
don Pond, he determined to cultivated a bean 
patch, finally adding to his agricultural opera- 
tions crops of potatoes, cabbage and cucum- 
bers. On an adjoining little islet, that rose 
like a wart above the bosom of the lake, the 
only excrescence of the kind that fretted the 
ripples into complaining murmurs, he erected 
a house of primitive accommodation. In its 
construction, he was ably assisted by a 
Watertown journalist (John Fayel), who, 
seeking recuperation for broken health, found 
pleasant recreation in the exercise of his con- 
structive talents upon very scant materials. 
Poles were ferried across from the opposite 
beach, and the deserted log-cabin of the 
squatter was dismantled of its boards, shin- 
gles, nails and window sash, to supply the 
needed material. That house was a " daisy," 
and ranked with the common shanty in archi- 
tectural adornment, having a door swung on 
hinges, and a window to admit the light. It 
was a large single barrack-like room, and for 
years became also the sleeping apartment of 
tired pleasure-seekers, who, rolled up in their 
blankets on the board floor, were lulled to 
sleep by the monotonous chafing of the ripples 
on the beach. 

Meantime, chance visitors to the lake re- 
turned with enchanting descriptions of its va- 
ried beauties. Mr. Thompson, on his return 
to the village, exhausted the vocabulary of 
adjectives in extolling its wonders. It was 
" the land of promise " spoken of in the Scrip- 
tures, the original " Fountain of Youth," 
sought after by De Soto, " the loveliest spot 
under the canopy," to use his favorite ex- 
pression. In truth, his representations could 
not well exaggerate the admitted beauties of 
the lake and wild surroundings. 

Curiosity was worked up to a high pitch, 
and to gratify it by actual realization, an expe- 
dition was fitted out, composed of some twenty 
or thirty citizens, who descended the river in 
boats. Mr. Thompson took the lead alone in 
his little canoe, ballasted with a few sacks of 
provisions. As commodore of the fleet, he 
issued instructions, and paddled ahead, a 



happy man, not unmindful of his glory. 
From long experience he became a marvel in 
handling a paddle, which he did as deftly as 
an Indian. He protested against a useless 
waste of power and misapplied movements of 
the arm in paddling. " Never," said he, " dip 
the paddle too far ahead, as the force would 
then be expended in lifting up the keel of the 
boat, but when the paddle falls in a perpen- 
dicular line with the rower's body, then the 
back-push against the resisting medium gave 
the only impulse forward to the boat." In 
his progress, to show off his dexterity and 
knowledge of the river, he sometimes cut 
across a bend, through rushes and over lilly- 
pads, thereby avoiding a long detour in keep- 
ing to the currents. About seven miles down 
the river a landing was made for a march of 
three miles over the carrying place to the foot 
of the lake. The landing place was designa- 
ted by a beacon seen from a long distance 
above, consisting of the stub of a big tree on 
the bluff, which had been splintered by a 
thunderbolt. From the landing place to the 
lake, the labors of the traverse commenced, 
sometimes through thickets and underbrush, 
over fallen logs, and across swails and quag- 
mires; but a portion of the route was unob- 
structed. The men started cheerily forward, 
lugging paddles, fishing poles, and sacks of 
flour, salt pork and other supplies of the com- 
missary department. Thompson took the lead 
as generalissimo of the expedition overland, 
limping briskly forward, shouting words of 
encouragement, and ready to diverge from the 
route to show up some remarkable scenery; 
in one of these, for instance, from the brink 
of a precipice, was seen, spread out beneath, a 
vast marsh, carpeted with moss, extending for 
miles towards the river. 

Arriving at the foot of the lake, a halt was 
called, when the generalissimo expatiated on 
the wonders of the scene soon to open on the 
astonished gaze. To many minds, striking 
images, thus presented to the imagination, 
through the ear, even when conveyed through 
the medium of gushing, bloviating rhetoric, 
leave a stronger impression than when con- 
veyed to the eye by careless observation. 



EARLY RECOLLECTIONS OF ALEXANDRIA BAY. 



239 



At the place of embarkation on the lake 
there was but one canoe and two leaky skiffs 
to take the party to the Island House, the 
terminus of their toils. When tired and hungry, 
curiosity lags, and the most romantic scenery 
loses its charm. The party divided, some 
passing up one side and others on the oppo- 
site side, to the nearest point, until Mr. 
Thompson, having landed the first installment 
from the boats, could cross over and take them 
to the island. The shouts of the men in their 
slow progress along the heavily wooded shores, 



the Sabbath day, hundreds of visitors flocked 
to the lake, some to fish, but mostly others to 
gather huckle (whortle) berries, blue-berries 
and raspberries, which abounded in their 
proper season on the bluffs and in the swamps; 
but Mr. Thompson received little or no reve- 
nue from these people, who accepted his hos- 
pitality rather as friends than as paying guests. 
The lake abounded in black bass, a most 
edible fish. He had a favorite spot, a head- 
land, for catching them, and having captured 
a lot of small frogs for bait in the damp grass 




AN ICE-BOAT, WINTER OF 1895-96. 



and the responsive shouts from the opposite 
side, kept up continuously for several hours, 
startled the three loons seen sailing on the 
lake, causing the bewildered birds to tack from 
one point to the other, for no such yells had 
stirred up the wild varmints in that region 
since the ancient war-whoop was sounded by 
the Indian warriors that passed through on 
their scalping expeditions. 

In the course of time boating facilities were 
increased, and some days, more particularly on 



the evening before, at dawn would paddle out 
in his canoe, that could be seen courtseying in 
the distance like a dark bubble, and returning 
with "the beauties," as he called them, had 
them served up for breakfast. On rainy days 
he rowed to the east side of the lake, where the 
deep water was filled with the branches of dead 
cedar trees that had fallen in, and rowing 
slowly along, in perhaps two hours' time, he 
would return with the bottom of his boat 
covered by the flopping beauties. 



240 



A SOUVENIR OF THE ST. LAWRENCE RIVER. 



He had an intimate knowledge of the habits 
of fish — those shrinking creatures best studied 
when out of their native element. Of birds 
and beasts, he also possessed an intimate 
knowledge of their habits and instincts. Re- 
garding the loons, to which reference has 
been made, he believed with old hunters that 
they could not be killed by a rifle while on the 
water, though he would not permit the experi- 
ment to be tried upon the loons that frequented 
his lake. The tradition concerning these 
wary birds is that they can dodge a bullet after 
seeing the flash, for instantly diving down, 
they remain for some time under water, and 
emerge to the surface a long distance from 
the spot where they went under. Thompson 
said he could predict a change of weather 
from the movements of his loons. It was ob- 
served that owing to their heavy conforma- 
tion they could not rise in a calm much above 
the surface of the lake, and when inclined to 
change their present habitat, they flew against 
the wind, which lifted them above the woods, 
thus affording an exit beyond their old prison 
limits. 

He declared that his loons, before a storm, 
would sail to the head of the lake, and when 
the south wind blew they would rise, and, 
flapping their wings, seem to walk on the 
water, but rising gradually, the wind buoying 
them upward higher and higher, until they 
reached the lower end of the lake, three miles 
distant from the place of starting, they would 
attain such an elevation as to clear the highest 
trees, and, thus regaining their freedom, seek 
" fresh fields and pastures new." He re- 



marked the curious fact that though they 
could dodge a bullet on the wave, they could 
not dodge a tree in a calm. 

Talking about the instincts of animals, he 
once remarked on a curious habit of the bears. 
On a heavily wooded ridge along the west 
side of the lake, there was a certain tree that 
on one side was deeply gashed, as if made by 
some huge gnawing animal. It would heal 
over for a time, like the scar made on a maple 
tree by the sugar-tapper's axe, and then it 
would exhibit a freshened appearance, like 
the re-opening of an old wound. 

This peculiar phenomenon, old hunters de- 
clare, was the work of bears. It was a guide- 
post to them in their journeys, the same as 
blazed trees were to any backwoodsman. The 
bears, in traversing the woods from Canada to 
the great northern wilderness, thus left their 
mark as a guide to the other bears which fol- 
lowed them on the same path. Each bear in 
passing would stand on his plantigrade feet, 
gnaw out a fresh chunk, to be freshened up 
by his successors, and thus the great bear- 
route, a genuine international line, was kept 
open. 

I once asked Prof. Ebenezer Emmons, the 
geologist of our district, his opinion as to the 
truth of the statement. The eminent naturalist 
rather doubted the explanation, and attributed 
gnawing of the tree to the rutting season of 
those animals. 

As the novelty of Mr. Thompson's kind of 
life wore away he turned his eye to the 
Thousand Islands with the outcome as before 
stated. 



JW. J^ 



THE GULF OF ST. LAWRENCE. 



241 



THE GULF OF ST. LAWRENCE. 



IT may happen that this book will fall into 
the hands of some one who is more than a 
mere pleasure-seeker among the Thousand 
Islands, who shall desire to know more of the 
ocean end of the great St. Lawrence river, 
which flows down through the finest scenery 
in the world, from grand Lakes Superior and 
Michigan, through Huron, St. Clair, Erie and 
Ontario — - 

" Vast lakes, which float the grain and ore 
Of mighty States from shore to shore, 
A thousand billowy miles and more." 

If the reader be such an one, he will be glad 
when told that the author of this Souvenir is 
one of the few whom he may meet who has 
traversed the whole Gulf, even from Labrador, 
Belle Isle and Newfoundland, up to Quebec. 

Passing by the many interesting towns be- 
low Quebec, and reserving for another article 
the journey up the grand Saguenay, as well as 
a description of some of the delightful summer 
resorts where the fashion and beauty of Lower 
Canada disport themselves during the short 
but warm Northern summer months, we will 
pass down the great river straight to Anticosti 
island (some 400 miles below Quebec) where 
the Canadian authorities maintain a light- 
house. It is almost a barren island, but the 
time will come in the not distant future when 
its size and location will make it an important 
spot, perhaps a summer resort. It lies in the 
Gulf, longest from west to east, but is so much 
nearer the north shore of the Gulf as to be 
readily passed unobserved by vessels travers- 
ing the center of that wide roadstead. By 
bearing north by east from Anticosti you 
would reach Labrador at the straits of Belle 
Isle, after sailing about 450 miles. But it is 
not in that direction we will now conduct the 
reader, though one who has a summer to spend 
and don't care much where he spends it, two 
months on Labrador would be wholly unique 
and perhaps interesting. It is a land without 
a local government, being so far away and so 
essentially uninviting as not to be worth the 



cost to Canada of maintaining courts, or those 
other formulas by which civilization is sup- 
posed to be advanced. But Canada maintains 
light-houses there. The writer made some 
good friends on Labrador in his youthful 
days, and recalls that region by many pleasant 
memories. 

But we will bear south by east from Anti- 
costi, traversing the wide Gulf of which every 
one has doubtless heard, but few are aware of 
the attractions it offers to the tourist and 
artist. Even to those who have given it much 
thought it is generally regarded as a region of 
mists and storms, and more or less enveloped 
in hyperborean gloom. But recently sports- 
men and yacht sailors have begun to visit the 
southwestern shores of the Gulf, and the sum- 
mer rambler finds that this part of the world 
has been more or less maligned, and that dur- 
ing July and August it offers a variety of at- 
tractions hitherto almost unknown. To make 
clear our idea we will take the reader into one 
town, upon one of the main islands of the 
great Gulf. 

If the traveller were to desire to cruise 
around a part of the Gulf of St. Lawrence, 
and should make Charlottetown, Prince Ed- 
ward's Island, his starting point, he would be 
in a situation to get a vast amount of real 
pleasure from his journeyings. 

Tuesdays and Fridays are the days when 
Charlottetown shows the most evidence of 
activity and commercial prosperity. In the 
square where the government buildings are 
located may be found the market-house. On 
these days it is crowded by both the town and 
country folk, and among the latter will be 
found now and then an Indian. An active 
barter for provisions is kept up for a greater 
part of the day. But this delightful town is 
not what it once was. The Dominion govern- 
ment has made such drastic laws that nearly 
all the American fishermen have been driven 
away from these waters, where their enterprise 
and industry once made business lively. Thus 
the goose has been nearly killed that laid the 



242 



A SOUVENIR OF THE ST. LAWRENCE RIVER. 



golden eggs, and places like Charlottetown 
Buffer from unwise legislation. 

In Summer, Prince Edward Island enjoys a 
delightful temperature, the mercury ranging 
for about three months from 60 to 76°. The 
air is dry and almost entirely free from fogs, 
and as the winds inevitably come off the sea, 
the island is very healthful, nearly all the old 
people being obliged to move away to die. 
The island has peculiar advantages for summer 
visitors from the liberal supply and the com- 
parative cheapness of all kinds of country 
produce. Personal pleasure is enhanced by 
the lovely drives in every direction over a 
country that is gently undulating and always 
in sight of the sea. The rivers, notably the 
Dunk, the Hunter and the Morell, abound with 
fine salmon and trout, and the long reaches of 
land along the easterly shore are frequented 
by snipe, plover and duck resting there on 
their journeys northward or southward. At 
Rustico and Arcadie the summer landlord is 
much in evidence, and there the best accom- 
modations can be found. And it is in the 
flitting thitherward of the migratory summer 
visitor, with pockets full of gold, that the 
islanders may look for the return of that pros- 
perity driven away by the laws which shut out 
American fishermen from neighboring waters. 

The facilities for observing the unique 
scenery of Prince Edward Island are much 
enhanced by the narrow-gauge railiroad, kept 
up by the Dominion government, but which 
does not yet repay expenses. Lobster canning 
has also assumed considerable dimensions 
upon the island, but it can hardly be classed 
as a stable or certain industry, for these homely 
crustaceans cannot be altogether depended 
upon. Singular as it may appear, they take no 
interest whatever in the philanthropic designs 
of capitalists and fishermen to ship them to 
market in elegantly labeled tin cases, and de- 
clining to co-operate in these schemes, they 
have a disagreeable way of remaining away at 
seasons when anxiously expected. 

Gazing over the pleasant landscapes and 
breathing the ozone-laden air at Prince Edward 
Island, one hardly comprehends that for 
manv months the island is covered with snow 



to an enormous depth, but is also shut out 
from the rest of the world by a tremendous 
barrier of ice. From January to May, North- 
umberland Strait is frozen over. The mails 
are carried across at the narrowest part, near 
Cape Tormentine or Jourimain, a distance of 
nine miles. The carriers drag a boat over the 
hummocks of ice, the boat being provided 
with runners like a sleigh. When they come 
to open water they launch the boat. It is an 
arduous and perhaps dangerous journey, and 
the mail carriers have few passengers. Were 
it not for this prolonged hybernation and 
being shut out from the rest of the world 
amidst immense bodies of snow, Prince 
Edward Island would be a veritable paradise. 

Money goes a great way upon this island, 
for it is scarce. The people are mostly of 
Scotch descent, but there is still a remnant of 
the Mic-mac tribe of Indians occupying a 
reservation on Indian island in Richmond 
Bay. There are some descendants of the 
original Acadian French yet upon the 
island, about Rustico and Ingowich, These 
are farmers. They have a convent at the lat- 
ter place. But the Highland Scotch are far 
the most numerous people upon Prince Ed- 
ward Island. They came originally from the 
Hebrides, driven away by the religious oppres- 
sion of the lairds. They have increased and 
multiplied. Nearly half of the inhabitants 
are Roman Catholics, though there are many 
Protestant Scotch. They are more than 
usually tolerant towards each others' religious 
views. 

A region so remote as Prince Edward 
Island and shut in for seven months of the 
year from the " wide, wide world," must of 
necessity produce many unique characters. 
One of the most prominent families upon the 
island is that of James Yeo, who accumulated 
a large fortune in shipbuilding. His sons 
were tn the Dominion parliament. He came 
out from England as a cabin boy, and the 
rough school in which he was bred marked 
his character and his speech. He once lost a 
brig, and three of the crew perished. Allud- 
ing to the misfortune he lamented : " Poor 
things — two souls gone and one Irishman." 



A SUMMER INSTITUTE AT THOUSAND ISLAND PARK. 



243 



We ought to mention, historically, that 
Prince Edward Island was discovered by 
Cabot, who called it St. John's Island, which 
name it retained until 1800. Verrazzino took 
possession of it for France as early as r523 — 
473 years ago. The island became British by 
the treaty of Fontainbleau. 

We have thus very briefly sketched one 
town upon the Gulf of St. Lawrence and 
enumerated one island. There are many 
islands of more or less repute and population, 
and there are other towns. Had we space we 
would take the reader further east — to New 
Brunswick, Paspebiac, the Bay of Gaspe, 
Nova Scotia, the Bay of Chaleurs, the Mag- 
dalen Islands, the Gut of Cansu and far- 
away Newfoundland. What we have said 
may open the eyes of some traveller to the 
fact that the regions upon the southeast side 



of the Gulf of St. Lawrence are not uninvit- 
ing, nor inhabited by savages. There are de- 
lightful places of sojourn in summer, with the 
best fishing in the world, and the least expen- 
sive living if we take quality and quantity into 
account. We know of no place where the 
people are more healthy, hospitable and in- 
dependent. Individual and unique charac- 
ters are plentiful, as is usually the case in a 
region where man is cast mainly upon his own 
resources. While not learned, they are pecu- 
liarly practical, possessing that kind of ability 
which makes the most of every surrounding, 
and forces nature itself to yield to the indus- 
trious persistence of man. We can but ex- 
press again our regret that our limited space 
precludes further reference this year to this 
most interesting section of British North 
America. 



A SUMMER INSTITUTE ESTABLISHED AT THOUSAND ISLAND PARK. 



/SkMONG the bills signed by Governor 
r 1 Morton is one providing for three 
summer institutes to be held under the direc- 
tion of the State Superintendent of Public 
Instruction. 

Superintendent Skinner has located one of 
these schools at Thousand Island Park, St. 
Lawrence river, to be held from July 15th to 
August 7th, i8g6, inclusive. It is the inten- 
tion that this institute shall rank with that 
which has been held for several years at 
Chautauqua and at Glens Falls, each of which 
has had a very large attendance of teachers. 
The superior facilities of Thousand Island 
Park and upon the adjoining islands, the 
beauty of the river, its matchless scenery and 
bracing air, should make it one of the most 



attractive places in the State for an institute, 
and the teachers of the northern portion of 
the State who have been remote from these 
facilities so long will, without doubt, attend 
in large numbers. Arrangements are made 
for cottages for those teachers who may desire 
to organize a club and provide their own 
home, thus combining a pleasant vacation at 
one of the healthiest summer resorts on the 
continent with the advantages of instruction 
by many of the most prominent school men 
in the United States. 

It is confidently expected that this insti- 
tute will become a permanent matter at Thou- 
sand Island Park or at Murray Hill Park, the 
new resort which has come into prominence in 
1896, and gives promise of a great future. 



A FEW "DON'TS" FOR EXCURSIONISTS. 

Don't push, and jam, and crowd, either in 
going ashore or aboard ; you only hinder and 
delay. 

Don't stop to gossip on the gang-plank, it 
blocks the passage and delays others. 



Don't be in too great a hurry, you will get 
along easier. 

Don't rush to get on board the steamer 
until the passengers are off, and then you can 
get on board without rushing. 



244 



A SOUVENIR OF THE ST. LAWRENCE RIVER. 




A PARTIAL VIEW OF MURRAY HILL HOTEL. 



MURRAY HILL HOTEL AND PARK. 



^URING the whole season of 1895 visi- 
tors to the Thousand Islands were sur- 
prised to see the vast piles of lumber, timber 
and building material being collected on the 
head of Hemlock Island, just at the entrance 
to Eel Bay, and at a point where a bold back 
ground had given away to a breadth of shore 
that seemed to invite a stately building. All 
summer long a great array of work-people 
were kept there, and at last the object of all 
this labor and material was manifest in a great 
hotel, four stories high, over 300 feet long, 
and containing rooms for 500 guests. When 
snow began to fall this noble building was 
turned over by the contractor to the proprie- 
tors, and it has been fitted up with every 
appliance that taste and comfort can require, 
and there has sprung into existence, without 
any great amount of advertising or newpaper 
mention one of the largest and most complete 
hotels upon the St. Lawrence river. 

The public owe this grand improvement 
to the organizing mind of Mr. A. Corbin, Jr., 
of Gouverneur, and to the indefatigable in- 
dustry and activity of Capt. " Jack " Taylor, 



the original proprietor of Hemlock Island, 
for which he once recklessly paid $100 in 
cash and a second-hand shot-gun. The 
island could not now be bought for $100,000. 
But no matter who bought the island or built 
the hotel, there they stand "in evidence," 
with surroundings the most enduring and 
beautiful on the river. These are the points 
the visitor is interested in, and they form the 
attractive influences which will draw to this 
spot those who seek for rest and enjoyment 
and yet wish to be " right in the swim." The 
railroad docks at Clayton are in plain sight 
from Murray Hill Hotel, no boat can pass up 
or down that is not visible from its windows, 
for every room has an out-of-door out look. 
It is readily reached, is the second landing 
below Clayton, in the very centre of the best 
fishing on the river, and yet enough secluded 
to prove a veritable resting-place for those 
who wish to avoid noise or hurly-burly. We 
predict for this great improvement a decided 
success, and that the foresight of its proprie- 
tors will meet with a just reward for their 
labors and their investment. 



FOREST G. WEEKS. 



245 




FOREST G. WEEKS. 



FOREST G. WEEKS. 



Forest G. Weeks, of Skaneateles, was 
born in Draycott, Somersetshire, England, 
August 2, 1832. His parents were Stephen 
and Ruth Weeks. Forest G. Weeks, the sub- 
ject of this sketch, was one of a family of 
eight children, seven of whom came to this 
country. Forest G. was only seventeen years 
of age when he left his native country to seek 
his fortune in the new world. The success 
he has achieved is evidence that he possessed 
the metal and ability to make his way against 



the many obstacles that beset the road even 
of the native born American. He came to 
Skaneateles in 1849 and at once apprenticed 
himself to learn the blacksmith's trade. His 
time and talents were devoted to this occupa- 
tion for the succeeding five years. Then not 
being satisfied with the education so far ac- 
quired, he wisely concluded to attend school 
for a time. This was carried out by taking a 
course at the Falley Seminary in Fulton, Os- 
wego county, N. Y. The winters in the mean- 



246 



A SOUVENIR OF THE ST. LAWRENCE RIVER. 



time were spent in teaching school, and thus 
accumulating sufficient money to defray the 
expenses of his course in the seminary. 

After having completed his course of study 
at the seminary, Mr. Weeks returned in 1857 
to Skaneateles and entered upon a business 
career that has now continued with remark- 
able success for nearly forty years. He did 
not return to the occupation of blacksmith, but 
at once engaged in the teasel business, which 
was then an important industry in Onondaga 
county, Mr. Weeks not only raised this prod- 
uct, but carried on a large business as a dealer 
in teasels. The enterprise proved eminently 
successful, and so Mr. Weeks remained in that 
line till 1867. In the meanwhile energy and 
good management had enabled him to accu- 
mulate money to extend his business interests 
in other directions. That year (1867) he pur- 
chased a one-half interest in the paper manu- 
factory, which is now known as the Brick Mill. 
This mill is situated on th.e Skaneateles outlet 
about three and one-half miles from the vil- 
lage. The firm name then was Bannister & 
Weeks, and so continued four years, when Mr. 
Weeks by purchasing the interest of Mr. 
Bannister, became sole proprietor. He still 
conducts this mill, turning out a large prod- 
uct. It was destroyed by fire in 1872, but was 
at once rebuilt and enlarged with more mod- 
ern design and equipment. Its output is now 
from six to seven tons of paper per day. 

The Draycott Mill was established a little 
later, the daily product of which now averages 
five to six tons per day. The third mill, 
which is now owned by Mr. Weeks, was for- 
merly owned and run by the Skaneateles 
Paper Co. Mr. Weeks first purchased a min- 
ority interest in this company but at the same 
time bought the entire product of the mill. 
This business continued several years when 
Mr. Weeks also purchased the total capital 
stock of the company, thus becoming sole 
owner of the property. This mill too has an 
output of eight tons of paper per day. In 
1882 another extension of the business was 
made by the purchase of the Earll, Tallman 
& Co. distillery, which was remodeled and 
converted into another paper mill. It is run 



as a stock company and is known as the Lake- 
side Paper Co. In this mill are manufactured 
mill wrappers, building paper, carpet paper, 
felts, etc., turning out about six tons per day. 
These comprise four of the largest mills on 
the stream. Besides these, Mr. Weeks in 
company with Mr. Edwin R. Redhead, estab- 
lished what is now known as the Victoria Mills 
Paper Co., at Fulton, Oswego county, N. Y. 
The company a little later bought the upper 
power on the Fulton side of the falls and 
erected thereon a large wood pulp mill, now 
producing thirty-five tons of pulp per day. 
In 1890 Mr. Weeks and Mr. Redhead separa- 
ted, Mr. Redhead taking the Victoria Mills 
and the former the Upper Falls Pulp Mill, 
which he still owns. Thus it will be seen that 
Mr. Weeks is one of the largest manufactur- 
ers of the paper product in the United States. 

Associated with Mr. Weeks in his many 
business enterprises are his three sons, Charles 
G., Forest G., Jr-, and Julius S. Besides 
these there is Mr. H. L. Paddock, formerly of 
Wolcott, Wayne county, N. Y., who married 
Mary L., eldest daughter of Mr. and Mrs. 
Weeks. She is a graduate of Cazenovia Semi- 
nary. They also have another daughter, Sara 
L., who graduated at the Syracuse University. 
Mr. Weeks married in September, 1859, Sarah 
A. Monell, of Mexico, Oswego county, N. Y. 

Mr. Weeks is also a stockholder and direc- 
tor in the Thousand Island Park Association, 
at which place he, together with his family, 
spend the summer. He is a member of the 
Methodist Episcopal Church and represented 
the same in the General Conference of 1880. 
He is, besides this, one of the trustees of 
Syracuse University and Cazenovia Seminary. 
The deep interest he has always taken in 
educational institutions, and especially those 
named, has been backed by his upbuilding 
influence and a generous contribution of 
money. Mr. Weeks has always been an active, 
earnest Republican in politics, and had he 
been so inclined, would have been honored by 
an election to almost any office within the 
gift of the citizens of Onondaga county. In 
this as in all other matters he has the confi- 
dence and esteem of all who know him. 



YACHTING. 



247 



YACHTING. 

BY GEORGE A. STEWART, 
In " Out-Doors," published by the Pope MTg Co., the Original Bicycle Manufacturers, 



IT is a well known fact that lovers of the sea 
consider yachting to be the highest of all 
sports. The fundamental principle which 
underlies all the best sports we have — that of 
a life out-of-doors, where fine air and sun- 
shine do their glorious part in building up the 
physique — applies to yachting, in common 
with foot-ball, base ball, rowing, bicycling, 
tennis, cricket, and other sports a-field. 

One grand feature of sports in the open air 
is that they simulate uncounscious exercise, 
and herein lies half of their beneficial effect. 
It is idle for the physician to prescribe a 
gymnasium-course for the average young man 
of sedentary occupation, for he looks upon 
such exercise as so much work, and soon 
tires of it. But put the same young fellow 
into a game of ball, or on a bicycle, or aboard 
a yacht for a cruise — whichever may be his 
particular hobby — -and he will go to bed with a 
delicious sense of physical weariness without 
having appreciated that he was doing any 
work at all. 

Sports are the salvation of our youth, and 
it is remarkable that they should have been 
frowned upon, or at best tolerated, for so long 
a time. The most natural tendency of a 
growing boy, or girl for that matter, is to 
play at some game all day long. Nature is 
wiser than man in this, as in all other things, 
and the present age has learned to follow 
nature, and to encourage the young to health- 
ful exercise. 

Which is the best form of sport is not for 
anyone to decide. They all have their virtues, 
and the taste and circumstances of individuals 
may be best left to select the most useful. 
While yachting has not so many devotees as 
some other sports, its admirers make up in 
enthusiasm what they lack in numbers. It 
can be pursued to advantage only on the open 
sea or on some tolerably large lake. That 
was the reason for the Chippewa Yacht Club 



locating in that wide arm of the river. (See 

P- 79-) 

The number who sail the seas for pleasure 
is astonishingly large, and rapidly increasing, 
for the water rarely loses its fascination for 
those who have once tasted its allurements. 

There is more or less of an opinion preva- 
lent that yachting is an expensive sport, one 
to be indulged in only by the rich. Such an 
idea is as far as possible from the truth. It 
is true that the millionaire finds plenty of op- 
portunity of gratifying expensive tastes in 
that connection, and palatial Alvas and Ata- 
lantas attest the royal scale upon which yacht- 
ing may be enjoyed. Yet it is doubtful if a 
Vanderbilt or a Gould gets any more real 
pleasure out of a half-a-million dollar steam 
yacht than the owner of a snug little single- 
hander. who lives more cheaply on his yacht 
than he could possibly live ashore. 

I remember a striking instance of this. A 
well-known millionaire yachtman was standing 
idly on the bridge of his 200-foot steam yacht 
one day, when a friend of his sailed by in his 
30-footer. The millionaire's eyes kindled as 
he saw the fun his friend was having, and 
with a touch of sadness in his tone, he called 
out : " I wish I could get as much fun out of 
my big boat as you do out of your little one." 
The two men were intimate friends, so there 
was nothing of snobbishness about this re- 
mark, nor of impertinence in the reply of the 
owner of the 30-footer, which was : " The 
trouble with you is that you own so many 
things you don't know how to enjoy any of 
them. I've only got one plaything, and so I 
make the most of it." 

Take a party of four young fellows off 
for a, cruise on the wide St. Lawrence, or on 
Long Island Sound, or along the Maine coast, 
and they realize nearly the acme of human 
pleasure. Their yacht may be small and in- 
expensive, they may have to put up with 



248 



A SOUVENIR OF THE ST. LAWRENCE RIVER. 



cramped accommodations, and a doubtful 
diet prepared by their own hands, each ofiQ- 
ciating as chef in turn, yet the two weeks or 
more which they will spend on the cruise, will 
be weeks of solid fun. 

The supposed perils of the water have kept 
many from this most fascinating of sports. 
The truth of the matter is that yachting is one 
of the safest of sports. There is just enough 
danger to add that spice of adventure which 
attracts the Anglo Saxon race. Quick judg- 
ment, skill, pluck and endurance are con- 
tinually called into play by an association with 
the sea. 

Quite distinct from cruising, and becoming 
more so every year, is the sport of yacht rac- 
ing. The idea of combining the cruiser and 
racer in one hull is a very attractive one. 
Not many years ago, indeed at the present 
time, in nearly all classes, the clever yachts- 
man could cross the finish line of a hard-fought 
race in the smoke of the winning gun, hastily 
dump a few stores and extra gear aboard his 
craft, and set sail for the eastward for a cruise 
in as staunch and comfortable a craft as one 
could wish to own. 

Keen racing competition, however, is driv- 
ing the sport into craft built especially for 
racing, with no thought of cruising comfort. 
As the family horse is no longer harnessed to 
the sulky, nor the trotter tied up to the carry- 
all for the family driving, so the tendency is to 
divide the racing and cruising yachts more 
sharply. 

Take the little fleet of this year, how fine 
and thorough-bred they all look to the racing 
man, and how ugly to the cruiser. The latter 
protests they are not yachts at all, but 
"machines." Presently he ranges along side 
with his sturdy cutter, and is first amazed and 
then lost in admiration of the wonderful 
speed of the tiny craft. As he tacks ship, 
and runs in for the anchorage, he murmurs 
grudgingly to himself: " I guess the darned 
little things have come to stay," and the 
chances are that he will order a " fin " or a 
" sand-bagger," or something even worse, 
with which to "do up" the fleet the coming 
year. 



It is the great advantage of yacht racing 
that it is, and must remam, a " clean " sport, 
unhurt by the evils of professionalism. It 
costs so much to build and run a racing yacht, 
and the prizes are so small that there is no 
money in racing for the prizes as a business. 
The racing man must race for the love of the 
sport and the ambition of winning. The 
gambling spirit finds little to feed upon in 
yachting contests. 

For the skillful amateur there is nothing 
more full of interest than a yacht race. From 
the time that the preparatory signal is given, 
he is all alert, counting the seconds so as to 
have his ship just on the line when the start- 
ing gun is fired. Once away, and every sense 
is at its keenest pitch, to catch the slightest 
advantage of varying wind or tide, or to keep 
one's competitor from getting the best of it. 
The elements of the water are stable enough 
in nearly every race to let the fastest boat win, 
yet there is just enough uncertainty and pos- 
sibility of " fluke " to make every sailor in 
the fleet work his hardest and not give up till 
the winning gun is fired. 

For those who object to the extreme 
competition of the racing classes, with its 
consequent " out-building " and a new boat 
every year or two, handicap racing offers a 
good deal of sport. In the handicap class 
the cruisers and out-built racers meet and 
each receives an allowance of time which is 
supposed to put all on an equal basis. The 
slower the boat the more time allowance she 
receives. Such races as these invariably at- 
tract large entries, and the tail-ender who lags 
in half an hour behind the first boat and wins 
by the aid of his 35-minute handicap, feels as 
proud as the owner of the Volunteer. Hot 
arguments on the injustice of the handicap 
ensue, and it behooves the regatta committee 
to '' lie low " and not appear at the club 
house till the storm has abated. 

It is the varied nature of yachting, and the 
different conditions under which it can be en- 
joyed which make the sport so universally 
popular. Who does not remember the intense 
interest over the American-cup races of 1885— 
87 which spread from Maine to California, 



THE FIRST PRINTERS UPON THE ST. LA WRENCE. 



249 



and which caused thousands who did not know 
a spinnaker from a marlin-spike to scan the 
bulletins eagerly during the progress of the 
races? Then the wonderful 46-footers of 1 89 1 , 
and the still more remarkable 21-footers of 
1892, have won the admiration of the yacht- 
ing public and stimulated interest in the sport. 
Steam yachting attracts the busy man, who 
must know to an hour when he can get back 
to Wall or State street, and the steam fleet 
multiplies even more rapidly than the sailing 
craft. 

As in any sport, the beginner should be 
started aright in yachting. Give him a handy 
little non-capsizable cutter with a snug rig, 
and you have amply provided for his safety. 



Make what blunders he may, he cannot tip her 
over, and he will have hard work to come to 
any grief at all. To make assurance doubly 
sure, send him out for a time in the care of a 
good boatman, or make him serve an appren- 
ticeship under some of his skillful yachting 
friends. If he has the right stuff in him, it 
will not be long before he is sailing his own 
boat nearly as well as the crack sailors of the 
fleet, and he will soon acquire a readiness to 
meet emergencies, a coolness under possible 
danger, which will make him safer on the 
sea than he is on shore, and which will 
stand him in good stead in facing the diffi- 
culties which he will meet in his other walks 
of life. 



THE FIRST PRINTERS UPON THE ST. LAWRENCE. 



IN the admirable article by General Neilson, 
on page 195, the beginning of newspapers 
and other printing on the St. Lawrence, is 
ably discussed. Singular as it may appear, 
and it illustrates the manner in which the 
migratory spirit in man carries forward great 
movements in art and science, these early 
efforts at establishing printing presses in Can- 
ada had their inception in the city of Phila- 
delphia. On page 200 General Neilson 
mentions " S. Miles " as the founder of the 
Kingston Gazette, in t8io. A son of this 
Stephen Miles (Rev. Harvey Miles) is now a 
minister of the Congregational Church at 
Canton, N. Y., and from him we have been 
able to procure a short biographical sketch of 
his father. Rev. Mr. Miles is about the same 
age as the author of this volume (in his 73d 
year), but his handwriting is as clear and 
bright as if written by a young man. He has 
sent us a copy of his father's newspaper, the 
Kingston Gazette, dated September 5, 1815. 
It is a folio, 17x24 inches in size, and fully up 
to the newspapers of that era, filled with ad- 
vertising — a sure sign of the progressive 
spirit of the business men of Kingston. Of 
his father, Mr. Miles says: 

"Stephen Miles was born in Royalton, Ver- 
mont, October 19, 1789. His father, Ephraim 



Miles, was a soldier in the Revolutionary war, 
and fought in the battles of Saratoga, under. 
General Gates, and was present at the sur- 
render of General Burgoyne and his army to 
the American forces. He was also at West 
Point, under General Benedict Arnold, when 
that officer betrayed his country and fled to 
the British in New York, in 1780. While 
quite a lad, Stephen was apprenticed to learn 
the art of printing in the town where he was 
born. Before his time of service expired, his 
master sold his office in Royalton, and went 
to Montreal, Canada, to establish an office 
there, taking young Miles with him. After 
completing his apprenticeship, a favorable op- 
portunity presenting itself, he went to Kings- 
ton, to continue in the printing business. A 
paper called the ' Kingston Gazette,' had 
been started there by a young man of the 
name of Kendall, but he, coming from the 
'States,' and being dissatisfied and discon- 
tented with his surroundings, disposed of his 
printing office to interested parties in Kings- 
ton, who were anxious to have a paper printed 
in that town. By correspondence with Mr. 
Moore, of Montreal, Mr. Miles was engaged 
to go to Kingston, take charge of the office, 
and finally, purchasing it, the ' Kingston Ga- 
zette ' became a permanent and promising 



250 



A SOUVENIR OF THE ST. LAWRENCE RIVER. 



investment. This, I believe, was the third 
paper printed at that time in Upper Canada. 
In subsequent years, Mr. Miles became a 
Methodist minister, and a member of the an- 
nual conference of that body, and after spend- 



ing many years of active service, age and in- 
firmities compelled him to retire from active 
work. He died at Ernesttown, some i8 miles 
north of Kingston, December 13, 1870, in his 
eighty-second year." 



POINT VIVIAN. 



/^THIS is the name given to a peninsula 
^^ containing about eight acres of land, 
pleasantly situated on the great St. Lawrence 
River, about two miles above Alexandria 
Bay. It was purchased of Captain W. H. 
Houghton, in the year 1877, by a number of 
Evans Mills residents, who had it surveyed 
by H. L. Scott into forty building lots, leav- 
ing a large public square in front and a neat 
little park. They also have a good road lead- 
ing to the regular town highway ; a well has 
been drilled, and pure cold water obtained in 
abundance ; it has a large ice-house which is 
filled each season affording plenty of ice for 
all. About thirty-five cottages have been 
erected. It has two stores, a boarding-house 
and a post-office, where the mails are received 
every day during the pleasure season. The 
place is easy of access by all the largest boats, 
as it has one of the best docks on the river, 
and is nearly 200 feet long. The association 
is governed by a president and three trustees. 
The names of the present officers are E. O. 
Hungerford, president, Evans Mills ; Wm. 
M. Comstock, secretary and treasurer, Evans 
Mills; Richard Rodenhurst, Theresa; O. W. 
Van Wormer, Watertown, and Mr. Harrigan, 
Gouverneur, trustees. 

The following is a list of the present prop- 
erty owners at Point Vivian : Allen Cook, 
Theresa; Geo. W. Adsit, Watertown; Geo. 



Taylor, Watertown ; Charles Austin, Water- 
town ; Mrs. G. W. Davenport, Evans Mills ; 
Rezot Tozer, Evans Mills; W. S. Cooper, 
Felts Mills; Mrs. Chadwick, Theresa ; Mrs. 
A. M. Cook, Evans Mills; A. B. Cutting, Gouv- 
erneur ; Ed. Grieb, Alexandria Bay : Theodore 
Gegoux, Watertown; M. Horton (present 
postmaster), Watertown ; Miss Jennie Hunger- 
ford, Evans Mills; E. O. Hungerford, Evans 
Mills; Mrs. Mary Sharon, Evans Mills; Lor- 
enzo Smith, Gouverneur; Mrs. Albert Utman, 
Syracuse : O. Van Wormer, Watertown ; Mrs. 
Van Epps and Klock, Watertown ; Alexan- 
der Whitney, Gouverneur; M. Wainwright, 
Gouverneur; Mrs. Wm. Youngs, Watertown; 
Mrs. Hannah Jane Saxe, Watertown ; John 
Ball, Watertown ; O. W. Barnes, Watertown ; 
Miss Mary Hungerford, Syracuse ; Miss 
Agnes Hungerford, Syracuse ; J. D. Harri- 
gan, Gouverneur; Henry Goodrich, Theresa; 
Miss Ida M. Isdell, Albany ; L. E. Jones, M. 
D., Buffalo ; Mrs. J. J. Kinney, Evans Mills ; 
Mrs. T. C. Kellar Est., Watertown; Mrs. 
Charles Ehrlicher, Watertown ; Andrew Kin- 
ney, Gouverneur ; Henry Lewis, Watertown ; 
Nathan Lennon, AVatertown; Geo- W. Mowe, 
Watertown ; H. H. Marsh, Gouverneur ; B. G. 
Parker, Gouverneur ; Richard Rodenhurst, 
Theresa. A Mr. Henry has established a 
large boarding-house, and also keeps a store 
[1896]. 



^ J^^ 



The Murray Hill. 




jL.Sti 








"As we journey through life, let us live by the way," never forgetting that there is a distinction between 
"living" and merely "existing." 

THIS newest of all the "new" hotels on the St. Lawrence, will be opened June 25th, 
1896. 
It will be patronized by the sort of people one likes to meet> As Murray Hill 
Park is largely owned and represented by the younger class of business men from 
New York, Philadelphia, Trenton, Pittsburg, Chicago, Cleveland, Buffalo, Rochester and 
Syracuse, an atmosphere of good fellowship will surely be found under the hospitable shelter 
of Murray Hill. 

Weekly Concerts will be inaugurated, and held under the oaks, for which the best of music 
will be provided, and to which all cottagers among the Thousand Islands will be invited. 

In short, it will be our aim to make the Murray Hill famous for its hospitality and good 
cheer. 

The Murray Hill is situated on Murray Hill Park, the latest popular resort established 
among the Thousand Islands. It has the largest Dining Room, largest Office, largest Ladies' 
Parlor, largest Ladies' Billiard Room and the widest Piazza of any hotel on the St. Lawrence, 
and will be supplied with Elevator, Electric Lights, Fire-places, Electric calls, etc. There 
is a post-office and telegraph office in the hotel. 

It is surrounded by broad waters for yachting, and Eel Bay, the best fishing grounds on 
the St. Lawrence, washes the shores of Murray Hill Park. 
Terms, from $2.50 to $4.00 per day. 

MURRAY HILL PARK CO., 

Murray Hill, Jefferson County, N. Y. 



[251] 



HADDOCK'S 

Cepti^ppial jHistory of Jeff(^r5on County 

REDUCED IN PRICE. 

Original Price $5.50. Now offered at $4.00. 

IT is a singular fact that no book offered for sale in Jefferson County has elicited so much 
praise as this History. Originally intended for 480 pages, the author was constrained 
to increase its size to over 950 pages, weighing eight pounds, on fine paper, and this 
without any increase in the price. The book is a complete historical synopsis of the last 
hundred years in the social, religious, agricultural, mechanical and financial growth of 
Jefferson County, beginning with the earliest frontier settlements, and following the country's 
progress up to 1895. The book has many new features; there is not a dull page in it, and 
not one person who has bought it would part with it for what it cost. It stands unchallenged 
as the History of the County. 

Excellent as are its articles and beautiful as are the illustrations, the book has been 
handicapped by the hard times^ which have affected all classes; to this should be added the 
increased expense of every household on account of the hard winter of 1895-6. To bring 
the History within the reach of every family the subscriber has determined to put the price 
down to cost. The price has been $5.50; it is now $4.00, at which it is expected that the 
balance of the edition will be speedily exhausted. It is safe to say that in ten years a person 
desiring to sell his Haddock's History can obtain f lo.oo for it. 

We can fill a newspaper with the commendatory articles relating to this work. Even a 
casual examination will convince a person of its superior excellence. It takes the place of 
Hough and the two other alleged histories that have been produced since r854, when Hough's 
was published. Haddock's History is the only one written by a native of the County, one 
who for over fifty years has been more or less intimately in touch with all its personalities, 
Avho knew the leading men of the County from 1840 to 1895 as no one else has known them — 
and many biographical sketches of many such are presented in a way that is instructive yet 
truthful. From Perley G. Keyes and Orville Hungerford, followed by Charles B. Hoard and 
Roswell P. Flower, the political record comes down to and includes the later crop of equally 
able partisans. This is a new departure, and the Political Chapter is alone worth the price of 
the book. 

Its record of the War for the Union is the most complete yet published, and graphically 
describes many incidents in which the writer participated, as well as philosophically discusses 
the causes which led up to the war. It is a soldier's book, written by a soldier, one who 
" marched with the troops." The portraits of the soldiers who went to the front form a galaxy 
of rare pictures, growing more and more valuable each year, and transmitting to posterity the 
very lineaments of some of the men who fought to save the government from destruction. 

This work should be in every household. The opportunity for its purchase will soon 
pass away. 

Secure it now, and transmit it to your children. 

j^-A Post Office Order or Cash to the amount of $4.00 JWU. A. rlAUJJUCK., 

secures you the book by express. \A/^atertOWn N. Y. 

Haddock's Popular St. Lawrence River Books for 1896 contain many new pictures and articles, and are 
worthy of a place in any library. The volume in your hand is one of these books, and speaks for itself. 

[252] 



INDEX OF WHOLE-PAGE ILLUSTRATIONS. 



[Many pictures are not included in this index. They are scattered all through the book, and are worthy 
of the reader's notice. In looking for illustrations, please remember that pages A to P follow page 64, and 
that Q to Ff follow page 80.] 



A 
B 
C 

D 

t 
E 

F 



/i 

K 
L 

M 

N 
O 



Calumet Island, Summer Heme of C. G. Emeiy, P 
of New York. Q 

The Summer Residence of C. G. Emery, of New R 
York (Calumet Island). 

The Veranda, Looking Eastward, Summer 
Home of C. G. Emery, Calumet Island. 

Calumet Island, the Summer Home of C. G. 
Emery, of New York. 

The fine Steam- Yacht " Sophia," Capt. H. W. 
Visger, of Alexandria Bay. 

Mr. J. P. Billings' Beautiful Cottages at Thous- 
and Island Park, on Garden Avenue. 

Composite Plate of Steamboat Captains. 

The Fiddler's Elbow, Canadian Channel. 

Composite Plate of Steamboat Captains. 

The Old Seth Green House, on Manhattan 
Island, now owned by Hon. J. C. Spencer. 

In the Rift — Canada and the United States. 

Big 45-pounder Mascolunge. 

The "St. Lawrence" on her Search-light Ex- 
cursion. 

Yachting on the St. Lawrence. 

Composite Plate of Steamboat Captains. 

[253] 



Y 
Z 

Aa 
Bb 
Cc 
Dd 

Ee 
Ff 



Steamer "Empire State." 

The Beautiful Steam-Yacht "Captain Visger." 

Island Kate, the property of G. W. Lascell, of 

Lynn, Mass. 
Judge Spencer's Residence, Manhattan Island. 
Prof. Blandner's Naptha Launch. 
The Pullman Hotel, Grinnel Island. 
West Side of the Square at Thousand Island 

Park. 
Residence of W. E. Dewey, Esq., on Friendly 

Island. 
The Frontenac, Round Island — Steamer "St. 

Lawrence " making a landing. 
A Scene on LaRue Island. 
The Water-front of Alexandria Bay. 
The Thousand Island House, Alexandria Bay. 
River-front of the cit)' of Brockville, Ont. 
Viewin Gananoque, Ont., showing Water Power. 
One Day's Catch of Bass. (Not much of a day 

either.) 
The Sentinel. 
Residence of W. C. Browning, Esq., opposite 

Alexandria Bay. 



INDEX. 



A. PAGE. 

Abbey, Dorephus 147 

Alexandria Bay, Recollections of 233 

Algerian, The, in Long Sault Rapids 74 

Algonquins, Huron and Iroquois 10 

Alvord, Hon. Thos. G. (Portrait) 44, 86 

Amherst, Expedition of Lord 39 

Angel, Gen. William H. (Portrait) 88, 134 

Anticosti Island 76 

Adirondacks or Algonquins 32 

Arsenal at Watertown robbed 143 

Art of the Angler 177 

Arthur, President C. A 87 

Articles, Leading, in this Volume 5 

B. 

Backus, Rachel 164 

Henry, Awakening of 160 

Baker, Col. Lafayette 116 

Balloon Voyage of La Mountain and Haddock.. 150 

Barton, Miss Clara (Portrait) 53, 54, 230 

Barry St. Leger, Colonel 43 

Beauharnais Canal 72 

Bell, Robert, of Ottawa 159 

Benton, Col. Z. H. (Portrait) 131 

Bethune, Rev. Doctor 45, 86 

Billings, J. P., and his Hotel on Garden Ave., 

1000 Island Park (Illustrated on page F) 50 

Blanchard, Joseph 100 

Boatmen of the St. Lawrence . 46 

Bonaparte in Northern New York 96 

Bond Head, Sir Francis 148 

Bon Voyage, Steamer entering Alexandria Bay. 139 

Booth, John Wilkes, the Assassin. 108, iii 

Boundary Line between Canada and the United 

States 223 

Britton, Freeman, of Gananoque 188 

Brockville, Ontario, the Gate city 70, 189 

Burgoyne, Gen. John 43 

Putterfield, Theodore (Portrait) 129 

c. 

Canadian Boat Songs 215 

Camp, Col. Elisha 13 

Cameron, Angus 156 

Canada's West Point 28 

Carlisle, Mrs., Cottage at Grinnell Island 81 



Carlton Island, with Diagram 41 

Sir Guy, Governor of Canada ... 43 

Will, The Poet 4 

Cartier, Jacques, the Explorer 9, 10 

Castorland Colony, The 169 

Champlain, Samuel, the Explorer 10, 32 

Chapman, Captain 78 

Chippevfa Yacht Club 79 

Members of 79, 80 

Clayton, Village of 81 

Description of 81 

Business People of 82 

Old Bridge at (lUust.) 82 

Coburg, City of 70 

Comstock, Alf ., and Tom 45 

Conkling, Hon. Roscoe 87 

Cooper's Pathfinder and Station Island 80 

Cornwall & Walton 13 

Hon. Andrew 13 

Canal 72 

Corbin, A., Jr., of Gouverneur, N. Y 244 

Corsican Running Lachine Rapids (lUust.) .... 74 

Count de Survilliers (Joseph Bonaparte) 96 

Curtis, Gen. N. M 93 

D. 

Dayan, Rev. J. F 47 

De la Barre, Governor of Canada 36 

De Nouville, Expedition of 37 

Description, General, of the Islands 31 

Devil's Oven (Illustrated) 63 

Dickinson, Mr. E. D., of the " Frontenac " 79 

Dulton, the Music-teacher, of Utica 44 



E. 



44. 83 



D). 



Emery, Mr. C. G 

Cottages of (Picture pages A, B, C, 

F. 

Fairbanks, Jason 136 

Fayel, William, author and editor 233 

Fishing, the Technique of 182 

Flower, Hon. Roswell P. (Portrait) 19 

Mrs. Sarah M 21 

Emma Gertrude (Mrs. J. B. Taylor) 21 

Anson R 21 



[254] 



INDEX. 



255 



PAGE, 

Flower, John D 21 

Fred S 2i 

Folger, Howard S. (Portrait) 59 

Forrester, Capt. E. F 64 

Forty-fifth parallel 72 

Fowler, John N 17 

Miss Jane C. (Mrs. E. G. Merick) 17 

Melzar 17, 204 

French Missionaries 35 

Frontenac Hotel 78 

The Count (Portrait) 211, 212 

The Fort 35 

Expedition of Count 37 

Destruction of Fort 39 

G. 

Gananoque, past and present 184 

Geology of the Thousand Islands 2ig 

George, Daniel 147 

Gilmour & Co., of Ottawa, Ont 157 

Glen Cove Cottage, Hemlock Island 207 

Good place for Bass 71 

Green, Seth, the fish culturist 45. 87 

Grennell, Saml. B 58, 94 



H. 

Haddock, John A. (Portrait) Frontispiece. 

His Balloon Voyage. ..- 150 

Centennial History of (Advt.) 252 

Haldimand, the Fort 42, 43 

General 43 

Hamilton, City of 70 

Hancock, Mabel 161 

Happy Islands, The (Mr. Bragdon's Poem),... 4 

Health, the Value of 14 

Henry Keep Home 24 

Hennepin, Louis 35 

Hiawatha, The Legend of 32 

Hinckley, Captain C 61 

Hinds, Prof. F. A 178 

Historic Ground 86 

Hudson, Captain H. C .... 61 

Hugo, Frank 61 



Indian Mission at Oswegatchie 37 

Indians, How They Learned the Rapids 76 

Indian Traces on the St. Lawrence 34 

Race, Creation of 34 

Ingalls, Hon. L 100 

International Park 51 

Book 30 

Introductory and Descriptive 7 

Iroquois Inroad upon the French 37 



J. PAGE. 

Johnston, Capt. S, G ... 54, 76 

Mrs. Emmeline H 55 

Capt. Henry T 62 

"Kate" 63 

William 143, 144 

K. 

Kendall, Capt. Aldridge 56 

Capt. Eli 57 

Capt. Chas. H 57 

Capt. Frank 65 

Miss Nellie M. (with portrait) 84 

Keep, Henry 21 

Henry Keep Home 24 

Kinney, Rev, M. D 48 

Kingston, City of 70 

Kennedy, George N go 

Charles L. Hon go 

Knights of the Blue Gauntlet .. 108 

of the Golden Circle no 

Keyes, Perley G 138 

King, Hon. Preston 146 

L,. 

LaFarge, John loi 

Lake of a Thousand Islands 12 

LaMountain, John, aeronaut 150 

LaSalle, the explorer 208 

Portrait of 209 

LeRaj'. James Donation 96 

Lost Channel, The, an Allusion to 165, 166 

History of the 177 

M. 

Maple Island 102 

McCormick, Mrs. C. H 17 

C. H., reaper manufacturer 17 

McKenzie, William L)on 142 

McLennan, Hon. P. B go 

McLeod, Capt. Alexander 143 

McNab, Sir Allan 144 

Miller, Captain Andrew H 84 

Miles, S,, founder of Kingston Gazette .. ,200, 249 

Montreal, the city of 73 

Mudd, Dr,, surgeon for J, Wilkes Booth ..... 115 

Murat, Joachim loi 

Murray Hill Park 244 

Mystery of Maple Island 102 

N. 

Navigation by Steam on the St. Lawrence 226 

Neilson, Gen. J. L. H., Biog. Sketch of 201 

Portrait of 202 

New Island Wanderer, view of 124 

Nightingale, Florence 52 



2S6 



INDEX. 



O. PAGE. 

Osvvegatchie under the English 40 

Oswego, Capture of 38 

City of 69 

Old "Just About," pop-corn vendor (111.) 155 

P. 

Pahud, Hon. Joseph 132 

Parsons, Chesterfield 13 

Patriot War, The 18, 142 

Patterson, Commodore Ned 45 

Payne the Ruffian ... 112 

Peel, Sir Robert, Burning of Steamer 133 

Pic-Nic on La Rue Island (111.) 77 

Pot-Holes in Eel Bay (111.) 231 

Point Vivian 250 

Lot owners at 250 

Prescott, City of 70 

Printing, origin of, on the St. Lawrence 195 

Quebec, City of , 74 

R. 

Rainy Day at the Islands 13 

Rapids of the St. Lawrence Enumerated 71 

How the Indians Learned to Run the 76 

Reese, Captain Chester W 62 

Red Cross, The 51 

Rest, The Value of 14 

Richelieu and Ontario Navigation Co 70 

Roberval, the Huguenot 76 

Rochester, City of 69 

Roque, Francis de la 10 

Round Island 78 

Cottage owners of 79 

Trustees of 79 

The ' ' Frontenac "at 78 

S. 

Safe Day for the Fish (111.) 69 

Sailing Vessels, Disappearance of 73 

Savage, Miss Annette 132 

Scenery, Autumnal, on the St. Lawrence 228 

" Sir Robert Peel," the Steamer 12 

Spencer, Hon. J. C 25 

Skinner, G. M., of Clayton 183 

Spicer Family, The 206 

Sportsman's Song 195 

Staples, Col. Orin G 13 

Steamboat Captains, some old ones 58 



Steam Yachts for Hire 83 

St. Lawrence, Song of the (Carlton) 4 

River and Inland Navigation 68 

Why the River Runs Where it Does 178 

Light Houses of the 225 

Navigation of, by Steam 226 

Lumbering on the " 227 

Gulf of 241 

Summer Institute on the 243 

Stone, Colonel, of Gananoque (Portrait) 185 

Sturgeon, Picture of a ... 6 

Surratt, Mrs., the Conspirator 112 

Summer Institute on the St. Lawrence 243 

Sweet, Captain George 67 

Captain Vernon 68 

Mrs. Catherine 67 

T. 

Taylor, Capt. Jas. A 66 

Frank H. (Portrait) 168 

Toronto, city of 70 

Thompson, Jonathan 237 

Thousand Islands, Geology of 219 

Surve3'S of 224 

Light houses of 225 

Park 47 

Original trustees of 48 

Present trustees of 48 



Van Rensselaer, General (Patriot War) 142 

Visger, Capt. Elisha W 64 

Capt. Walter L 65 

Capt. H. W 84 

Von Shoultz, Niles Sobelitcki 145 

W. 

Walton, Azariah 13 

War of 1755, The 165 

Webb, H.Walter 124 

Weeks, Forest G 245 

Webster, Timothy, the Detective 105 

Williams, Hon. Pardon C 90 

Windmill, Battle of the 12 

Whittlesey Aflair, The 136 

Mrs., her Will or Statement 140 

Woodruff, Martin 147 

Wright, The Story Teller 88 

Y. 

Yacht Club, The Chippewa 79 

Yachting, by George A. Stewart 247 



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